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RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 



THE ANGLER'S WORKSHOP 



VOLUME I 



Rodmaking for Beginners 



By Perry D. Frazer 



Illustrated 



NEW YORK 

FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 

1908 



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Copyright, 1908, by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company 



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Contents 

Chapter Pagb 

I — A Review of Fishing Rod History. . . i 

II — Fishing Rod Materials 19 

III — Mounting and Finishing Materials. 41 

IV — Tools Needed in Rodmaking 62 

V — Types of Bait- Casting Rods 68 

VI — One- Piece Bait-Casting Rods Tz 

VII — One-Piece Bait-Casting Rods With 

Separate Handgrasps 91 

VIII — Two-PiECE Bait-Casting Rods 97 

IX — Three-Piece Rods 104 

X — Split Bamboo Rods 109 

XI — Salt Water Rods 131 

XII — Bass and Trout Fly-Rods 138 

XIII — Salmon Fly- Rods 144 

XIV — Winding Rods 152 

XV — Varnishing Rods 170 

XVI — Rod Cases and Forms 176 



Introduction 

There are so many anglers who take pleasure 
in making and repairing their own rods and fish- 
ing tackle that I have set down some simple 
hints that may be of use to anglers who are not 
as yet skilled in work of this character. Like 
most of them, I have worked with few and sim- 
ple tools. The methods I shall describe may 
seem amateurish and crude to the skilled profes- 
sional rodmaker, but the novice who is guided 
by them will pass many a pleasant hour, and will 
turn out rods of which he should be proud. 

The work described is that which the novice 
can perform with the plainest tools, principally 
file, sandpaper, jackknife and plane. 

Perry D. Frazer. 
Nezv York City, 
January, 1908. 



Rodmaking for Beginners 



CHAPTER I 

A Review of Fishing Rod History 

When we speak of fishing rods to-day, refer- 
ence is invariably made to those rods that con- 
sist of two or three parts fitted with spHces 
or ferrules for greater convenience in carrying 
to and from the fishing grounds. 

Without question the best rod is one made 
of a single piece, or of strips rent and glued, 
but with no joint or ferrule to interfere with 
its resilience and action. 

That it is next to impossible to carry a full 
length rod on trains and in other conveyances is 
obvious; hence the skill of amateur and pro- 
fessional rodmakers is constantly directed to- 
ward the task of making the two and three joint 
rods as nearly perfect in every way as is possi- 
ble under the circumstances. That they succeed 
I 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

very well indeed is evident in the beautiful rods 
now used in fishing and in tournament casting. 

For several centuries all of the best fishing 
rods were made in Great Britain. There solid 
wood rods were the favorites; in fact — with the 
exception of rods made with spliced cane and 
whalebone tips — the only rods used until a com- 
paratively short time ago, when the rent and 
glued cane rods invented and made by Ameri- 
cans were adopted abroad. Even to-day solid 
wood rods are very extensively used in Great 
Britain. Their manufacturers have never been 
very successful in competing with the best Ameri- 
can hexagonal split bamboo rods, and some of 
their fly-rods are made up from split-and-glued 
material purchased in the United States and sold 
as English rods. High grade American split 
bamboo rods, too, are well known and liked over 
there. 

Hickory has been largely used in England for 
parts of medium and heavy fly-rods, the material 
being shipped from the United States and Canada 
in billet form. Other materials are: Ash, lance- 
wood, whalebone and cane combined; ash and 
lancewood in combination ; willow, blue mahoe, 

2 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

washaba (our bethabara), whole cane, green- 
heart, and greenheart and whole cane combined. 
For a number of years greenheart alone, or 
greenheart in combination with whole cane, was 
a standard rod material there, but this is of com- 
paratively recent adoption, as angling writers of 
fifty years ago seldom refer to greenheart. Al- 
fred Ronalds, writing in 1836, said: 

"The best materials are, ash for the stock, 
lancewood for the middle, and bamboo for the 
top." 

Mr. Ronalds had in mind the whole bamboo 
which, according to later writers, was first im- 
ported into England by army officers returning 
from India. They, however, looked on it with 
favor because it was ideal for lances, and per- 
haps their preference for the thick-walled canes, 
now called "male" bamboos, led to the belief that 
was prevalent for many years, that this was bet- 
ter for rod making purposes than the thin- 
walled "female" canes. Exhaustive tests with 
scientific instruments have proved the thin- 
walled bamboo better for the purpose. 

Theophilus South, in his "Fly-Fisher's Text 
Book" (London, 1845), prefers ash to willow 
3 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

for butts, hickory for middle joints, and favors 
tips made from lancewood, cane and whalebone, 
spliced together — four and even five pieces in 
a tip. 

The African greenheart, obtainable in the yards 
of the importers in Stanley road, Liverpool, is 
probably much better material for fishing rods 
than the greenheart sold in the United States, 
which comes from various places in the tropics. 
That which comes through Liverpool is picked 
over by the British buyers, and our importers 
must take what is left. This probably accounts 
for the growing scarcity of first class green- 
heart. Not a few of our rodmakers decline to 
guarantee this material, which is most excellent 
for the purpose when it is good. 

Early fishing rod materials in the United 
States were: ash and lancewood in combination; 
hickory, mahoe, greenheart, washaba (betha- 
bara), snakewood, beefwood, cedar, osage orange, 
shadblow, ironwood, dagama, peppercane, Cal- 
cutta bamboo, our Southern canes, jucara prieto 
and many others. 

Years ago it became a common practice to 
saw or rive strips of wood, plane these square, 
4 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

glue four pieces together and plane round to 
form rod joints. The belief was that joints so 
made were much stronger and less likely to break 
than would be the case with a joint made from 
a single piece of wood. This method was fol- 
lowed by splitting strips of bamboo, planing two 
sides of each strip and gluing four of them to- 
gether to form a joint, then planing the latter 






FIG. I. 



FIG. 2. 



round. This was made possible by placing the 
enamel side of the bamboo within the strip, as 
shown by the shaded lines in Fig. i. 

The enamel surface being slightly convex, it 
was difficult to work and glue these strips to 
form nice joints, and this method, which seems 
to be ideal in other respects, gave way to one 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

in which the enamel was placed on the outside, 
and the section made almost octagonal in form 
by means of planing off the corners, as shown 
by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. This method is 
still followed to a certain extent by amateurs 
in making tips, and for the beginner at split 
bamboo rod making, it has many points of ex- 
cellence. The principal ones are that it is easier 
to make a joint of four than six pieces, and if 
these are carefully fitted, glued and varnished 
a fairly good rod is the result. 

It is possible the manufacture of these four- 
strip rods of solid wood or cane, and the diffi- 
culty in keeping water out of them with the in- 
ferior glue and varnish then available, resulted 
in the method often followed of winding joints 
solidly with silk thread or narrow silk tape. 
This made the rod soft or logy and was dis- 
carded finally, to be revived in recent years, and 
again discarded. 

The four-section cane rods gave way to six- 
strip rods, and these have come to stay. They 
have been used successfully for the past genera- 
tion and have outlived their offshoots, the eight- 
strip, the seven-strip and the steel- centered single 
6 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

and double-built rods, showing that they are 
based on very sound principles. 

It is the belief among rodmakers , that in a 
hexagonal rod the upper and the lower strips 
are called upon to perform the greater part of 
the work of casting and playing a fish, but the 
strain on the upper strip is supported, not by 
the lower strip alone, but by the three lower 
strips, as shown in Fig. 3. 





FIG. 3. FIG. 4. 

When the greatest strain falls on the lower 
strip, the three upper strips support it, as pic- 
tured in Fig. 4. This seems to be borne out 
by the fact that in tournament casting — the 
hardest work a fly-rod is called upon to per- 
form — it frequently occurs that the lower strip 
is fractured, but the strength of the rod is but 
7 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

little impaired, and turning the rod so that the 
break comes on the side leaves it in good shape 
for further use, if the point where the strip is 
fractured be wound with silk and varnished. 

Our English friends, not satisfied with plain 
hexagonal split cane rods, have resorted to 
double built rods, to steel cores, and to winding 
in double spiral form with ribbons of steel, but 




FIG. 5. 

Hexagonal cane rod, steel wire 
center and steel tube center. 



Hexagonal cane, 
double built. 



while these methods are moderately successful 
with them, the result is to overload the rod, mak- 
ing it top heavy or logy. Sectional views of 
these are shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive. 

Frederic M. Halford, in his book, "Dry-fly 
Fishing" (London, 1902), says of American fly- 
rods that, judging from those he has seen, they 
"are too whippy for our insular ideas and seem 
8 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

generally to lack backbone. They are also rather 
light in the point, the effect of which is to ren- 
der it difficult if not impossible to recover a long 
line with them. The fashion of the present day 
is to use a rod that is slightly topheavy, and 
although this is more trying on the wrist, yet, 
considering all points, is a fault the right way." 





FIG. 6. 

Octagonal cane rod. Monagonal cane rod. 

Both steel center and double-built. 



His preference then was for a rod 9^ to 11 
feet long, so it must be assumed that he referred 
to American rods of light weight. This seems 
to be true, for he quotes Francis Francis who, 
in his "Book on Angling," told of making a cast 
of twenty-six yards with a loj^ foot rod. No 
American five-ounce rod of the present time 
9 



ROOM A KING FOR BEGINNERS 

would be accepted as a gift if it failed to lay out 
seventy-eight feet, and the average six-ounce rod, 
in the hands of an angler of ordinary skill, will 
send the fly yards further, if the need arises. 

Mr. Halford says there are only three materials 
worth considering: split cane, greenheart and 
whole cane, in the order given. Aside from its 
fault of occasionally snapping oflf short, he likes 
greenheart, but gives double enamel split cane 
the preference. 




FIG. 7. 

Steel-ribbed split-bamboo rod. 

I quote Mr. Halford at some length, for of all 
modern English angling literature his books on 
"Dry-fly Fishing," "Dry-fly Entomology" and 
others, and his numerous papers on angling 
are, to me at least, the most impressive. Among 
other things his clearness of expression and his 
habit of giving more than full credit to his 
friends for angling hints show his sincerity and 
fairness. 

10 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

But Mr. Halford had no patience with steel- 
centered rods; in fact, he says that the contro- 
versy in the English press anent the inventor of 
the method was a waste of ink and paper, as 
steel-centered rods were of no practical use. 
"Consider," says he, "the effect of rigidly fas- 
tening the two materials together. The one with 




FIG. 8. 



FIG. 9. 



Eighteen-strip rod, and method of forming each of the 
three-piece strips. 



the quicker action must of necessity tend to hurry 
the slower material, and the one with the slower 
action must equally of necessity tend to retard 
the action of the quicker material. What must 
be the effect? A tendency to disintegrate their 
union. For me," he continues, "they have not 
cast better; they have not cast more easily; they 
II 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

have not cast more accurately, than the ordinary 
split cane by the same maker. They are certainly 
more tiring to the wrist, and when killing a fish 
I do not think that they give any real accession 
of power." 

In 1889 Hardy Brothers employed an engineer 
who tested specimens used in rodmaking. All 
were 24 inches long, .32 of an inch in diameter 
for round rods and .16 of an inch on each side 
of the triangular sections of glued-up hexagonal 
rods. The tests were for resilience, deflection, 
number of vibrations before coming to rest with 
various weights, specific gravity and breaking 
strain. The best results obtained, in the order 
given, follow: double enamel glued cane, steel 
centered; double enamel glued cane; hexagonal 
glued cane, steel center; hexagonal glued cane; 
greenheart, built up; hickory built up; round 
greenheart ; lancewood. 

In theory at least it would seem that in a rod 
wound with narrow steel wires, these would 
constantly shift with the spring of the rod, re- 
laxing in hot weather and contracting on cold 
days, the general effect being to shear windings 
and varnish, and to rust. Certain it is that one 
12 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

of the British firms which adopted steel ribbing 
some years ago, now advocates a braided silk 
sheath to cover the steel, 

A Frenchman has made rods in which flat 
steel strips have been let into the wood, and my 
impression is that a British manufacturer has 
adopted the invention. 

Some years ago a Scotchman invented a simi- 
lar method, but he used fine piano wires instead, 
one being let into each of the six strips and 
wound with silk. Unfortunately he died before 
succeeding in his efforts to interest a manufac- 
turer in his work. 

In America not much attention has been paid 
to steel centers or steel whipping for rods. One 
firm makes a steel center rod, and another one 
winds both wood and split bamboo rods with 
copper or bronze ribbons in much the same man- 
ner employed abroad in winding with double 
spirals of steel. I have one of these metal- 
whipped rods, and must say that it has merit, 
for with it a fly can be cast very prettily in 
trout fishing, and it is no doubt strong, but to 
one accustomed to an ordinary split bamboo it 
has an action which, while pleasant, is peculiarly 
13 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

its own. Without wishing to disparage these 
methods of strengthening rods, for my own use 
I prefer plain whipping with narrow bands of 
fine silk at intervals of three-fourths to one and 
one-half inches, and believe these are sufficient 
for any rod of the class generally made in the 
United States. 

As previously stated, attempts to strengthen 
rods by winding them solidly with silk have 
been made here during the last half century, but 
while it is claimed for these rods that they sel- 
dom break and will withstand severe strain, I 
would not advise the amateur to attempt solid 
winding. Rods wound solidly with silk on a 
machine are bound in all places with equal pres- 
sure, and if this winding gives strength, as 
claimed, the strengthening medium is uniform. In 
winding by hand you will at first lay the silk 
on with the greatest tension you can exert, but 
it is tedious work, and after a few minutes your 
fingers will begin to cramp and ache and you will 
wind less carefully. When you stop to rest the 
tension is relaxed, then you resume with vigor, 
and so on until the long contract is finished. The 
result must be that the silk is wound so tight 

14 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

in places that it will cut into the wood when 
the preserving medium causes it to shrink; else- 
where there will be loose spots, followed by tight 
places — anything but uniform winding, giving 
you a soft rod. 

In this way you may defeat your purpose, yet 
never know where the real fault lies. Ten to 
one the wood will be given the blame, as being 
poor, and you may try the same thing with an- 
other rod, to be again disappointed. 

It can be said with perfect safety that six- 
strip split bamboo is to-day the favorite fishing 
rod material in the United States. More rods 
of this sort are used in fly- and bait-casting for 
fish and in tournaments than all other materials 
combined. They are even replacing solid wood 
to a certain extent in salt water fishing. Many 
great factories have been working steadily to 
their full capacity for several years, turning out 
split bamboo rods for the markets of the world, 
and the best of them have been for a long time 
and are now far behind with their orders. It is 
a good trade, that of a first class fishing rod 
maker; one in which steady employment is certain. 

While our British friends are still experiment- 
15 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

ing with rod materials, using cane and wood and 
steel in combination, our makers are plodding 
along with their work, turning out the best hand 
made split bamboo rods the world has ever 
known, and satisfying their patrons. In years 
they have not added to their rods any features 
of startling importance, but they have instead 
constantly endeavored to produce perfect rods, 
until to-day the best hand made rods are indeed 
works of art, yet powerful and durable withal. 
Only one change from the regulation six and 
eight-strip rods is prominent. This is a method 
patented several years ago by the late Fred D. 
Divine, consisting in twisting the six strips 
slightly while the glue is still fresh, so that the 
joints are spiral, the theory being that a rod so 
treated is stiffened and that the work does not 
fall on the upper and lower strips alone, but on 
each one of the six. The method is highly spoken 
of by anglers, and I myself have used such a 
rod with pleasure and satisfaction. At one time I 
tested two fly-rods that were exactly alike in 
length, caliber and weight, one spiral, the other 
plain six-strip. They were held on a table side 
by side while a half-ounce weight was suspended 
i6 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

from each tip. The spiral rod sagged very little, 
whereas the other drooped four inches lower. 

The steel rod, that has become so popular in 
the Middle West and South for hard use, is now 
often employed for bait-casting. 

On salt water bethabara, ash and lancewood, 
dagama, lancewood and greenheart are the 
favorite materials, although, as stated above, 
split bamboo is coming into more general use. 

In fly-casting there has been very little change 
in types of rods during the past decade, but in 
bait-casting a complete change has taken place, 
and to-day the bait-caster's methods are more 
nearly like those of the fly-caster's than ever 
before, in that both use artificial lures in prefer- 
ence to live bait wherever success is at all pos- 
sible. Both are working toward finer tackle and 
are following more sportsmanlike methods in 
fishing as a pastime. 

Until quite recently angling for game fish in 
fresh waters consisted in casting the fly; in cast- 
ing with medium weight rods and minnows or 
other live bait, sometimes attached to a spoon 
or spinner; in still-fishing with minnows, worms, 
grubs or other insects; in trolling with live or 
17 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

artificial lures. There were other forms, but 
these will suffice for the present. Nearly all 
rods were long and heavy. In order to make 
one of these, skill of no mean order was required, 
and amateurs who made attempts were more 
often disappointed than satisfied. 

Then came the change in the methods of using 
the bait-casting rod. Extremists went from rods 
of eight and nine feet to those of six, five, four, 
even less than four feet in length, but as time 
passed and experience has been gained, many of 
them have settled on five or six feet as a very 
satisfactory length for the superb little rods with 
which they cast a long line and some form of 
artificial lure, using a free-running multiplying 
reel. 

It is possible to make these new rods as light 
and almost as graceful as the trout fly-rods. 
Angle worms and live minnows and doodlebugs 
are no longer considered necessary by way of 
lure, and the methods of the bait-caster may be 
made as cleanly and as skillful as those of his 
brother of the fly-rod. 



i8 



CHAPTER II 
Fishing Rod Materials 

There are many anglers who are fond of doing 
things themselves, and to such of them as fancy 
bait-casting, the idea of making their own rods 
appeals strongly. And while it is beyond most 
of them to make a passable rod nine feet in 
length, such as was used years ago, there are 
very few persons possessed of ordinary skill who 
cannot make a short rod of the type that is popu- 
lar to-day. 

To give assistance to those who would like to 
try this fascinating pastime is the purpose of this 
book. I disclaim any scientific knowledge in the 
art. Rather, I have simply plugged along at the 
work, making mistakes and correcting them, 
doing things topside down, perhaps, as a pro- 
19 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

fessional rodmaker might say, but attaining the 
end sought, after a fashion, in time. 

During the past decade I have made almost 
every type of rod, and have worked split bam- 
boo, dagama, lancewood, hickory, ash, green- 
heart, washaba (bethabara), jucara prieto and 
other materials, but in no part of my rodmaking 
have I had any better facilities for working 
rapidly and easily than the average busy man 
commands, hence I feel confident in telling the 
novice how he can do this and that part of the 
work, for I am giving the results of my own 
experience, backed by the sage advice of some 
of the best known professional and amateur rod- 
makers and anglers, to many of whom I am 
greatly indebted for friendly criticism in my ef- 
forts to assist beginners. 

One thing which this slow and methodical 
hand work has taught me is this : To take ad- 
vantage of everything which will simplify the 
work of rodmaking and finishing. I would have 
you bear this in mind in reading the chapters 
that are to come. Some of my methods may 
seem clumsy to those of you who have access 
to machine tools, or who have been advised by 

20 



FISHING ROD HISTORY 

professional rodmakers; but the average begin- 
ner at rodmaking will work with even poorer 
facilities, perhaps, than I have commanded, and 
for him the methods described may be of some 
value. Above all things I wish to make all steps 
plain and simple. They are not scientific, but 
are practical. 

It is folly for the beginner to attempt to make 
his first rod of split bamboo, or even to obtain 
glued-up stock and fit it. Instead, he should 
obtain that material which is easiest to manipu- 
late, and carry the work through to some sort of 
conclusion. Then, and only then, will he master 
the first step in rodmaking and begin to realize 
how easy and yet how difficult it is to make a 
good rod. 

Without question split bamboo is the best mater- 
ial known to-day. If you can obtain the material 
in butts, joints and tips, glued-up, so that the 
"making" consists merely in finishing it and fitting 
handgrasp, ferrules and trimmings, if care is 
exercised a very good rod will be the result. But 
I would strongly advise the novice not to at- 
tempt to make a split bamboo rod complete; at 
least not until he has had ample practice in mak- 

21 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

ing all-wood rods. Instead, pay a visit to some 
professional rodmaker, if this be possible, at a 
time when he is making split bamboo rods, and 
ask permission to watch him at work for a little 
while. If you do, my word for it, you will go 
away a wiser if not a sadder man, for you will 
be convinced that you lack the skill necessary to 
finish the six slender strips and fit them together 
perfectly, even if you can secure bamboo that 
will prove to be worth cutting up. 

This is one of the difficulties encountered in 
rodmaking, for not all of the material that looks 
good will be worth the labor of cutting. I know 
one old rodmaker who, on splitting out his 
material, tests each slender strip by bending until 
the ends meet, then examining the circlet for 
weak spots, and if any appear he smashes the 
whole piece and tries again — a severe test, but 
one that will show defects before further labor 
is wasted. Not that this is the correct test, but 
it is one of several, the most important one being 
an examination based on long experience. 

Some of the best rodmakers will supply you 
with glued-up butts and joints, and if you are 
determined to make your first rod of this material, 

22 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

select these somewhat longer than the joints of 
your rod-to-be, so that you can pick out the best 
part of each piece when you come to fitting the 
ferrules. Take only hand made stock, for 
machine made material is not always worth 
using. The hand made stock will cost more than 
you anticipate, but it is much cheaper in the 
end. If glued-up split bamboo is to be the 
material, the method of performing the different 
parts of the fitting will be the same as described 
further on for all-wood rods. 

Next to split bamboo in the woods easily ob- 
tainable in the open market comes washaba, or, 
as it is known in the trade, bethabara. This is 
a heavy wood, but it is nicely adapted to short 
bait-casting rods, and one can be made to weigh 
five to six and one-half ounces, and very slender, 
that will be exceedingly powerful and full of 
ginger. Hence the weight of bethabara does not 
signify. Bethabara slightly resembles butternut 
or a light grade of black walnut in color; with 
this exception, that when freshly sawed the sur- 
face is covered with greenish yellow dust, very 
heavy and a bit sticky to the touch, giving one 
the impression that the wood has been sprinkled 
23 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

with yellow ochre. The wood being so hard, 
the rough saw marks hide the grain, and it is 
difficult to tell a good piece from a bad one. 
Look closely at all sides, or better, scrape two 
sides until the grain will show, and if there are 
any knots or if the corners show splinters that 
may be broken off short, discard it and look 
further. Pound the sticks smartly on the floor 
and examine closely for worm holes, which, al- 
though very small, are fatal to good material. 
I have said that the wood shows dust of a 
greenish-yellow color, but this seems partially 
absent in some bethabara. I prefer the grade 
which shows this characteristic, and which the 
English rodmakers call green washaba; but the 
brown washaba, the grade that does not, is much 
harder and has a closer and longer grain in the 
perfect pieces, although it seems more difficult 
to get perfect pieces in this grade. Hence it 
is well to stick to the green or dusty grades, which 
run nice as a rule and can be planed from 
both ends and on all sides with impunity. Some 
dealers sell other varieties of imported woods 
for bethabara, and some try to supply very poor 
greenheart instead; but reliable men may be de- 
24 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

pended on to give you what you ask for. 
The fine shavings from bethabara are so wiry 
and tough that a handful of them can be used 
for a long time in polishing finished joints. They 
cling together totally unlike those from green- 
heart, which are short and very brittle. 

Bethabara logs are sawed into planks which 
go to the rodmakers in thicknesses of seven- 
eighths of an inch, sometimes more. Generally 
the lumbermen cut logs into pieces seven-eighths 
by one inch and three feet long, but you can get 
other lengths. These pieces must be ripped. If, 
however, they will cut the material to your 
order, it will be well to have the butt five-eighths 
of an inch and the tips three-eighths for a two- 
piece rod. There is a good deal of cutting before 
you earn be satisfied with the squared stock; and 
another thing, you must decide which end of 
your stock is to be the butt, or large end, be- 
fore you begin to taper it. 

There are two or three peculiarities about this 
wood that will astonish you at first. Stock that 
is cut thin may be very crooked. I have worked 
pieces so crooked that it seemed a waste of time 
to do anything with them, but after they were 
25 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

finished and the rod hung up by the top on a 
brad driven into the wall, all the kinks soon dis- 
appeared and the rod became as straight as a 
perfect arrow. 

This method of straightening is advisable with 
any rod, and especially tips. Where rods are 
put away in tackle cabinets or closets, with all 
parts tied up in a cloth partition case, it very 
often happens that one of the strings of the case 
is tied more securely than the others, thus bend- 
ing the tips slightly ; and, if left in this shape 
for long, with perhaps some heavy object rest- 
ing against all, a very crooked rod may be taken 
out later on. Even standing joints on the floor 
with the tops resting against the wall may warp 
them. Better hang tips up, and the whole rod, 
too, if practicable. Dealers who handle the 
finest wood rods often suspend them all from 
the tops in cases made for this purpose. 

Bethabara as a rule does not warp or take set 
easily, but cut any wood into thin strips and 
throw it about and it will warp out of shape. 
Varnish puts an end to this, as it prevents rapid 
changes of temperature from affecting the wood 
easily. 

26 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

In preparing to work bethabara, put on a pair 
of overalls or a long apron. The dust is very 
penetrating and somewhat sticky, and there is an 
oily substance that adheres to the edge of the 
plane, dulling it until removed. Wash your 
hands with soap and water, and you will be 
surprised to see the water turn a deep salmon 
color, and the lather from the soap just like 
so much red paint. No stain need be feared, 
however, although old rodmakers tell me that 
after continued working of this wood, their hair 
takes on a slight pinkish shade, due, evidently, 
to the action of the alkali in the soap. 

Dagama in perfect pieces is even more easily 
obtainable that bethabara, and of all the rod 
materials known I strongly advise the beginner 
to make his first rod of dagama. He will have 
less difficulty in working it, is more likely to get 
first-class stock of nice straight grain, and it will 
give him good satisfaction. Plaving in mind the 
disappointing experiences I had in my first at- 
tempts to work bethabara, due for the most part 
to poor material, I asked several of the best 
known firms of rodmakers for their opinions, and 
these agreed perfectly with my own, which is 
27 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

that while first-class bethabara will give better 
satisfaction, dagama of good quality is more 
easily obtained, can be worked to better advan- 
tage by the novice, and will make a good 
rod. 

Dagama comes from Cuba and is rather com- 
mon. The tree grows to a height of forty or 
fifty feet and has few branches. As a rule it 
comes in billets six or seven feet long, split from 
the log, but as these are not expensive, the 
novice who expects to make two or three rods 
can use the best part of a billet to advantage. 
The wood is rather white when first split, but 
exposure to the air turns it pale yellow and it 
darkens slightly when made up into rods. It 
resembles lancewood so closely that unless pieces 
of both are placed side by side it is difficult to 
tell which is which. Its grain is closer and 
straighter than that of lancewood, however, and 
it has none of the pins or knots that characterize 
lancewood and make that wood so unsatisfac- 
tory to work. Dagama is light, stiff and elastic, 
breaks with a long, splintering fracture, some- 
what like hickory, is easy to work with or across 
the grain, and may be highly polished. Ferrules 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

slightly larger than those used on bethabara will 
answer, 

I have heard it said that dagama is at its best 
in a moist climate, and is therefore peculiarly- 
adapted to use on salt water; that it becomes 
somewhat "brash" in dry climates, like hickory. 
I regret that my personal experience with the 
wood is confined to regions near the sea level, 
and that I cannot affirm or deny this statement. 
Hickory, I know, although exceedingly tough and 
resilient as a rule, failed completely when used 
for the long whip stocks of the old-time stage 
coach and army ambulance drivers in the dry 
regions of the Southwest. Although soaked 
with oil, they were totally unreliable after dry- 
ing out, ahd would snap short off like reeds. 
Bait-casting rods are not used in such dry 
regions as a rule, but on the Southern Pacific 
coast, it seems, bethabara gives better satisfac- 
tion than either greenheart or dagama. The 
best fishing is in the dry season there. 

The late Henry P. Wells was one of the first 

angling writers to mention dagama, and he 

praised it very highly, both in the first edition 

of his "Fly-Rods and Fly Tackle," which was 

29 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

published in 1885, and in the second edition, 
which appeared in 1901. Of dagama he said: 

"Compared with a stick of approved green- 
heart of equal size the dagama showed no in- 
feriority that I could detect, while it was cer- 
tainly much lighter. * * * I have made and 
used several rods made of dagama, and have 
seen many made by others. If well selected and 
well seasoned, as a rod wood it is difficult to 
equal, much less excel, as far as my experience 
goes. It is very strong, very elastic, consider- 
ably lighter than any wood I know of which 
has equal strength, and works with a keen tool 
in a way that is simply a delight." 

The late John Harrington Keene favored four 
varieties of wood for rods, after split bamboo. 
These were snakewood, lancewood, greenheart 
and bethabara. Snakewood, in his opinion, was 
the best where weight was not important, as for 
bait-casting rods. "It is," said he, "one of the 
most satisfactory woods to work that I know, 
cutting smoothly and without apparent grain, 
and coming out from the plane with a surface 
like ivory for smoothness, Greenheart is a much 
harsher wood to work, but if the tool is keen it 
30 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

works fairly well. For fly-rods it is one of the 
best woods I know, being of medium weight and 
great stiffness." 

Of dagama Mr. Keene said: "While it is 
tough, it lacks the rigidity of lancewood and is 
inferior to it for rodmaking. Lancewood, which 
if well selected, is a most desirable wood for 
rods, is one of the easiest woods to work, has 
little visible grain and cuts smoothly." 

It seems, however, that Mr. Keene's opinion 
of split bamboo changed after he came to the 
United States to live, for when he wrote "Fish- 
ing Tackle, its Materials and Manufacture," 
(London, 1886), he said: "The jungle canes 
are of Asmn growth, and are chiefly utilized 
for the glued-up cane rods which are so popular 
— rather undeservedly, I think." 

At that time Mr. Keene pronounced green- 
heart "the very best all round material for all 
the joints except the butt of fishing rods of what- 
soever description." 

Curiously enough, he says "the beautifully mot- 
tled appearance of a well finished cane rod is 
produced by staining the wood with aqua fortis 
and nut galls. The stain is burned in immc- 
31 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

diately it is put on." Evidently, if this was 
true, the rodmakers of that time used other 
canes and attempted in this way to imitate the 
Calcutta canes. 

Lancewood is used more than any other 
material for all-wood rods in America, although 
it does not seem to be very much used abroad 
at present. In England greenheart is more of 
a favorite, but over there more attention is given 
to combinations than here. For example, 
hickory is frequently used for butt joints in high 
grade rods, whereas on this side of the water 
it is put into no rods save the cheapest ones, or 
imitations of bethabara or some other wood, 
stained. Over there, too, whole cane butts and 
even middle joints, with greenheart tips, are 
common, while as a rule we stick to one material 
throughout the rod. 

Lancewood is more easily obtainable than 
bethabara. The latter comes from Africa by way 
of Liverpool, whereas lancewood in large quan- 
tities is brought up to New York by the coast- 
wise vessels trading in Southern waters. It 
costs less than bethabara, and is much easier to 
work. It is not so heavy as bethabara. In the 
32 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

rough it is easier to select good stock than is 
the case with bethabara. But it is "softer" and 
more resilient in equal diameters, and has not 
the steely snap and quick recovery that char- 
acterize the other variety mentioned. In ad- 
dition to this it is prone to take set; in other 
words, to warp permanently, and this fault is 
more marked on damp than on dry days. 

There are so many varieties of wood avail- 
able, and all more or less excellent for rods, that 
the beginner may be tempted to try others than 
those recommended. But my advice is that he 
confine his first experiments to either dagama or 
bethabara. Then, after he has acquired some 
knowledge of squaring, rounding and finishing 
solid wood, and fitting hand grasps, ferrules and 
tops, he may feel safe in making a split bamboo 
rod, since this will be the goal of his ambition. 

Good Calcutta bamboo is very difficult to ob- 
tain. Japanese bamboo is inferior to it, and I 
would not advise its use. Nearly all of the Cal- 
cutta bamboos are marked with alternate bands 
or patches of natural and scorched enamel. Two 
varieties are commonly known. The so-called 
"male" bamboo has thicker walls than the 
33 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

"female" and is generally chosen for this rea- 
son. Careful experts tell us, however, that in 
this thick-walled bamboo the strength diminishes 
more rapidly from enamel surface to hollow cen- 
ter than in the thin-walled bamboo. The enamel 
or rind is tough and hard. Under this the cells 
increase rapidly in size and their walls diminish 
in strength, the inner part being more pith-like 
than in the thin-walled bamboo, whose cells are 
smaller and their walls stronger. 

Various reasons are given to account for the 
burning of the bamboos by the natives of India. 
The late Henry P. Wells, who studied the ques- 
tion carefully, gives six reasons, as follows : A 
religious ceremony ; roasted over a gridiron to 
kill borers; also to burn off adhering leaves and 
vines; for ornamental purposes; accidentally 
burned in firing jungles to destroy creeping 
vines; seared with hot irons in straightening. 
He leaves it to his readers' fancy to decide. 

J. J. Hardy, himself a rodmaker, in his "Sal- 
mon Fishing," says the natives lay the more 
crooked canes in fires made of grass and leaves, 
to soften before attempting to straighten them. 
"While this firing doubtless solidifies the sap and 
34 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

hardens the cells greatly," he writes, "it destroys 
fully 50 per cent, of the bamboos for rodmaking 
by burning through parts of the outer skin, the 
effects of which may be seen in the very dark 
blotches. Where this appears the material is 
worthless, all the original structure having been 
destroyed. It has been very difficult to persuade 
the natives to adopt special methods of heating 
for the purpose of straightening, in order to 
avoid this overburning; but it is satisfactory to 
know that better methods, under strict super- 
vision, are now being employed." Mr. Hardy 
says it is not unusual to split up thirty to fifty 
culms and test the strips before sufficient good 
material for an 18 foot salmon fly-rod is obtained. 

The bamboos obtainable are generally 1% to 
1 5^ inches in diameter at the large end and only 
four or five feet of each one can be used to 
advantage. 

Tonkin canes come from the province of that 
name in French Indo-China, on the Gulf of Ton- 
kin, an arm of the China Sea. Probably most 
of them are cut in the valleys of the Black and 
Red rivers, which lie due east of Mandalay in 
Burma, and as Calcutta and Tonkin canes grow 
35 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

in the same latitude, this may account for the 
belief held by some that Tonkin canes equal 
Calcutta bamboo for rodmaking purposes. It is, 
however, a fact that very few professional rod- 
makers will admit that anything can equal first 
class Calcutta canes. A veteran says one reason 
why he is inclined to use Tonkin is found in the 
fact that good Calcutta canes are very difficult 
to obtain, and with them there is so much waste. 

Many of the Tonkin canes furnish thicker 
material than the other variety, and if properly 
seasoned and selected, make excellent fly- and 
bait-casting rods. Few of them are burned, 
which furnishes another reason for their popu- 
larity. Some are stained unevenly before they 
are split, and when the strips are matched and 
glued these mottled places appear here and there 
on the rod, giving the effect that is so pleasing 
to anglers of the old school who, through cus- 
tom, prefer the mottling to the white enamel of 
unburned canes. The staining is a harmless pro- 
cess, and may be produced in several ways. 

Tonkin differs materially from Calcutta. The 
knots are smaller and less troublesome, and in 
the rough beveling you can plane through the 
36 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

knots with safety. This cane is much harder 
than Calcutta, more brittle, and in breaking a 
strip the surface gives way in long splinters, 
leaving softer pith strata which are tough but 
not springy. Because of its greater stiffness it 
is used for tournament rods. It resembles some- 
what our Southern canes, but its surface is 
darker and the fibres reddish. It is harsh and 
glassy, soon dulls the edge of the plane, and must 
be handled carefully or the hands will be cut and 
scratched. 

Tonkin canes cost more than Calcutta. Rod- 
makers who use them will not say much about 
them. I do not pretend to know which is the 
better material. I will, however, state that I 
made two fly-rods at the same time, one from 
the best Calcutta I could obtain; the other from 
Tonkin. The Calcutta rod required twice as 
much time and showed many imperfections. The 
Tonkin rod was satisfactory. Both were exactly 
alike. The best French glue was used on both. 

It does not follow that, because some rods are 

made with double enamel, that it is the better 

method. If first class bamboo is used, and the 

strips are well made and perfectly fitted, noth- 

37 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

ing can surpass the plain hexagonal rod; but 
the difficulty of obtaining good bamboo is great 
and is increasing, and it is not always possible 
to get material thick enough to make perfect 
triangular sections without resorting to the 
double enamel process in butts and joints. Many 




rods are now made the centers of which are 
hollow because of this difficulty of getting 
material thick enough to make all strips per- 
fectly triangular in section. 

In an attempt to choose between double 
enameled hexagonal bamboo and octagonal 
bamboo, the former may safely be given pref- 
erence. In an octagonal rod the butt and mid- 
dle joint are stronger, provided the caliber is 
large, but eight-strip tips consist of so much glue 
and so little cane that they will not withstand so 
much hard usage as will the six-strip cane and 
38 



FISHING ROD MATERIALS 

frequently give way at the ferrules, particularly 
if the parts are carelessly twisted. 

On the other hand, the gluing of double enamel 
hexagonal strips is partially protected from 
moisture, and if properly made a double enamel 
rod is strong and powerful. Besides, this method 




is a simple one, and double enamel strips are 
easily made in several ways, the common forms 
being to plane two strips of rectangular section, 
glue them tog'ether and then file as in a single 
strip; the other to make a strip of triangular 
section, then plane off the apex of the triangle, 
glue another strip to the base and file this down. 
In Fig. 10 the dotted lines show the form of 
the completed section, and the shaded lines the 
enamel. In Fig. ii, a is the outer strip with 
apex of triangle planed off; b, second strip glued 
to a; dotted lines c indicate section of finished 
strip. 

39 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

The Specific gravities and weight of various 
woods mentioned are given by Mr. Wells as 
follows, the standard being distilled well water: 

Specific Weight. 

Gravity. 1 cubic foot. 

Snakewood 1.3718 85.74 

Bethabara 1.2140 75.88 

Greenheart (dark) 1.0908 68.18 

Jucara prieto 1.08 67.30 

Lancewood 1.0335 64.59 

Six strip split bamboo 9915 61.96 

Four strip split bamboo, enamel inside .9678 60.49 

Greenheart (light) 9643 60.26 

Dagama 90 56.10 

Hickory 7963 49.77 



40 



CHAPTER III 

Mounting and Finishing Materials 

What shall the handgrasp be — solid cork or a 
form wound with cord? Simplicity, effective- 
ness and economy point to cork. This statement 
may surprise you, but it is true. Cork, seeming- 
ly difficult to work, only requires proper treat- 
ment, and with /it the weight of the rod can be 
kept down. 

The cork companies in New York, Pittsburg 
and Chicago will furnish handgrasps to order 
ready to slip over a solid center. These are 
made either of solid cork discs or of suberit, a 
composition of ground cork and cement. They 
will also furnish corks similar to those used in 
vaseline bottles and one-half inch thick, at about 
seven cents per dozen for the best quality. I 
41 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

generally purchase four dozen at a time, cost- 
ing twenty-five cents, and select the best ones 
for use. The ij4 and iH inch sizes are best for 
rod grasps. 

Wood forms for handgrasps can be purchased 
from rodmakers in various lengths and sizes, 
with either single or double grasp, and with a 
hole of any size desired bored clear through. 
They cost twenty to forty cents. If you can 
have access to a lathe, however, it will be a 
pleasure to turn your own handgrasps from 
sumac, which you can obtain in almost any 
thicket during a walk in the country, or white 
pine. Bore the hole first, fit a plug in this, 
center the ends, and shape the outside to suit, 
bearing in mind that the cord to be wound on 
will increase the diameter about 1-16 inch. 

Cord for this purpose is obtainable from fish- 
ing tackle dealers. Light green braided cotton 
cord looks nice when varnished, and makes a 
good firm grasp, but it is inferior to cork. 

All ferrules, reelseats, tapers and buttcaps 

should be German silver. These cost a trifle 

more than brass nickeled, but they are harder, 

stronger and more durable. Besides, nickle 

42 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

glitters while German silver tarnishes just enough 
to become slightly dull, but is not injuriously 
affected by chemicals in the water. 

There are only three types of ferrules that 
merit the consideration of the beginner. These 



are 



J. 



I. For split bamboo rods, welted and capped 

ft 4 

I' '■■'■"W 



ft 4 ^ 



FIG. 12. 
Serrated Ferrules. 



(or shouldered) ferrules, with the caps serrated, 
so that the silk may be wound over the springy 
saw-tooth like ends illustrated in Fig. I2. The 
reference letter a shows the welted end of the 
ferrule, which protects and strengthens it. B 
is the cap or shoulder, which is turned down 
slightly at c to permit winding with silk, which 
should extend ]4 inch beyond the flexible ser- 
rated ends d and bind the ferrule rigidly on the 
wood. E is the center. The caliber of a set 
43 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

of ferrules is taken at the point indicated by 
this letter. The outside diameter of the center 
at e is exactly the same as the inside diameter 
of the ferrule. 

2. Capped and welted ferrules with the caps 
split and also turned down slightly for winding, 
as illustrated in Fig. 13. The reference letter f 
shows the capped ends turned down so that the 



3 



Pw.- y/;///i;w/ 



FIG. 13. 

Split Ferrules. 



cap and the silk winding will be of the same 
diameter. This end is split in several places 
with a very fine saw, so that the silk will bind 
the ferrule in the same manner as with serrated 
ferrules. 

These split ferrules are excellent for split 
bamboo rods, or in fact for any rods, and they 
are often preferred to serrated ferrules. If any- 
thing they are neater. They can be purchased 
of the trade, but any amateur who can work 
44 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

metal handily can make them from plain capped 
ferrules. 

3. Capped and welted ferrules are of the same 
form as the two mentioned above, but the caps 
are plain, as shown in Fig. 14. 

In all carefully made German silver ferrules 
the outside diameter of the female ferrule at g 
(Fig. 14), is identical with the inside diameter 



x. 






1 


w 


y^'^ 


.J 




Plain Capped 






LuVA> 


iii\.v\iv.u ■'nmw||| 




FIG. 14. 

and Welted Fer 


rules. 



of the cap at h. This is a help to the novice 
in tapering his joints. This also applies to the 
center. In purchasing ferrules always specify 
"capped and welted ferrules, closed-end centers." 
Some of the centers are left open at the bottom, 
which is necessary when dowels are to be put in. 
I have given preference to capped ferrules for 
the reason that they are better for the novice to 
work with than straight ferrules. By straight 
ferrules I mean those in which the female is a 
45 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

true cylinder inside and out. Many serrated and 
split ferrules are made straight, but if they are 
not to be fastened with pins, they may be set 
too far down on the wood and work loose more 
easily if the cementing is imperfectly done. It 
is possible to obtain straight ferrules which are 
shorter than those that are capped. For three- 
joint rods less than six feet in length, by using 
short straight ferrules, you can slightly lessen 
the total length of metal in the rod, and if it 
is to be quite willowy, they are excellent for the 
purpose. Specify either "welted straight fer- 
rules" or " welted short straight ferrules" in 
ordering, but in either case add "capped closed- 
end centers." The use of straight centers will 
spoil the taper at the joint. 

Dowels should be avoided by beginners. The 
plain ferrules have, through long use, been 
proved fully equal — and in the opinion of some 
anglers, actually superior — to doweled ferrules, 
even for heavy salt water and salmon rods. In 
this opinion I do not concur with respect to 
very heavy rods, in which there is abundant 
space for the dowel without weakening the wood 
at all. For small caliber rods, however, the 
46 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

dowel has no advantage over the plain ferrnile. 
Few amateurs can hope to properly fit doweled 
ferrules to a rod, the effect being rather to 
weaken than to strengthen it. The intricate 
parts of the old-fashioned doweled ferrules may 
be seen in Fig. 15. 

Every ferrule should be fitted with a metal 
plug, to keep out the dust while it is in its case. 



FIG. 15. 

Sectional View of Doweled Ferrule. 



Waterproof ^ferrules are well worth their 
slight extra cost. In these a metal disc is brazed 
or soldered in the ferrule, to prevent water from 
getting into the wood or bamboo. 

In purchasing a reelseat it is necessary to de- 
cide whether the rod is to consist of one piece; 
of a tip and a separate handgrasp; or of two or 
three joints of equal length; and in any case 
whether the grasp is to be single or double. 

If the rod is to be one piece, or if the hand- 
47 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

grasp is to be fitted direct to the butt of a two 
or a three-piece rod, and is to be single, the reel- 
seat should be like that pictured in Fig. i6. 

If the handgrasp is to be single and separate, 
then the ferrules shown in Fig. 17 will be needed. 
Of these, the center goes on the large end of 
tip and the ferrule fits into the tapered end of 
the reelseat (Fig. 16). The method of fitting 
will be described further on. 

If the handgrasp is to be double, then the reel- 
seat is ordered without the tapered end, and a 
separate taper is required. See Fig. 18. The 
ferrules shown in Fig. 17 can also be used in 
connection with this reelseat (Fig. 18), as will 
be explained in the proper place. 

For all single-hand fly- and bait-casting rods 
reelseats of three-quarter inch diameter are 
standard, and seven-eighths or one inch for 
medium weight salt water and salmon rods. In 
ordering reelseats, the diameter of the small end 
of taper must be specified. Generally these are 
15-32, ^ inch, 17-32 and 19-32 of an inch. 

Reelseats for fly-rods are like Fig. 18 with 
the exception that the bottoms are closed. For 
this purpose the taper is generally narrower. 
48 



FIG. 1 6. 
Reelseat for a Single Hand Grasp. 



IWHIWHU 



■muuuui (,i\imnn 



.'HiH\^ •M\\m\ 



FIG. 17. 

Ferrtfles for a Separate Hand Grasp. 




T? 



pmuMi 



.ilUiDillliil 



FIG. 18. 

Reelseat and Taper for a Double Hand Grasp. 



ROD MA KING FOR BEGINNERS 

Stock buttcaps are generally of ^ inch diam- 
eter at the large end. For bait-casting rods, 
which should have rather full grasps, one inch 
is a better diameter. I like the small hard rubber 





FIG. 20. 

One-ring German Silver Guide. 

buttons made for tarpon rods, and hollow these 
out so that they fit as a buttcap. They can, how- 
ever, be fitted flush against the cork of the hand- 
grasp without hollowing, and fastened on end 
of grasp with a screw. See Fig. 35a. 

For light bait-casting rods it is nice to use 



FIG. 21. 
Agate Offset Top. 



a full set of agate guides and an agate top, but 
if this increases the cost too much use an agate 
top and an agate guide nearest the reel, with 
one-ring German silver guides for the balance 
SO 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

of the set. There was a time when it was be- 
lieved that large guides and tops were best, but 
it is now conceded that guides and tops of a 
caliber of 5-16 inch are large enough, safer and 
neater. There can be no question that large, 
heavy guides affect the action of the rod. The 
agate guide shown in Fig. 19 and the one-ring 
German silver guide pictured > in Fig. 20 have 
proved as good as any so far used. They are 



FIG. 22. 

Hard Steel Snake Guide for Fly-rod. 



light, Strong aJid efficient. The caliber of both 
is S-16 inch. 

By all means employ an agate offset top made 
like that shown in Fig. 21. In this there is a 
wire extending from the tube to the bottom of 
the metal ring holding the agate, while the two 
side wires prevent the line from catching around 
the top, and strengthen it. The caliber is 5-16 
inch. The tube may be tapered or cylindrical. 

For fly-rods the best guides are of hard steel, 
51 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

snake form, as shown in Fig. 22. These can 
be had in various sizes in the trade. In Fig. 

23 a steel top for fly-rods is shown. In this 
the ring is of the same form as the agates used 
for the same purpose, but the steel ring is made 
loose enough to turn in the wire that holds it, 
in order that it will not wear from the constant 
friction of the line. The wires are lashed to 
the rod tip with silk. The form shown in Fig. 

24 differs only in that these wires terminate in 
a tube. Wires and tube are German silver. 

For guides and tops of fly-rods German silver 
is too soft and is soon cut in grooves by the 
friction of the line. Any mechanic can make 
these loose steel tops, or they can be purchased 
from the importers. Agate or steel tops, and 
steel guides, are necessary for tournament fly- 
rods. The hand guide should also be agate, 
as during the constant stripping in and shoot- 
ing of the line it is held at an angle to the rod, 
causing considerable friction and wear if the 
first or hand guide is steel. 

Novices who have access to machine tools can 
make guides and tops for both fly- and bait- 
casting rods of hard steel and of the form shown 
52 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

in Figs. 19-24 inclusive. Steel is in every way 
adapted to guides and tops, and if neatly made 
they are light, strong and durable. Many 
novices make all of their rod fittings, and some 
of these are the best I have ever seen. Being 
unable to purchase steel tops for my single-hand 
and salmon fly-rods, I persuaded a fellow angler 
to make several steel tops for me, and these have 
proved very satisfactory in tournament casting. 



ZH 



FIG. 23. FIG. 24. 

Steel Fly-rod Top, with Steel Fly-rod Top, 

loose Ring and Wires. with Tube. 



He has also made steel guides and tops for all 
his fly- and bait-casting rods, and his work shows 
what a novice can do if he has access to machine 
tools. 

Perhaps the best glue for use in the making 
of split bamboo rods, and for gluing corks and 
forms for handgrasps is French glue, ob- 
tainable in paint shops. Place the glue pot in 
a kettle of water over a slow fire. The glue pot 
53 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

should have wire legs or be elevated slightly, 
else it will rest on the bottom of the kettle and, 
the water being excluded from under the glue 
pot, the glue will burn. ' 

Russian isinglass is also very good, but it 
should not be used a second time. Instead, clean 
the pot and prepare fresh glue each time it is 
to be used. Russian isinglass is colorless and 
for this reason is used in glass signs and metal 
work where other substances would show. Order 
an ounce of it and try it before deciding to adopt 
it. It costs about forty cents an ounce, but this 
quantity will be sufficient for several rods. 

Much depends on how glue is prepared and 
used. I prefer the best French glue, soaking it 
over night and using it very hot, but thin. It 
sets very quickly but is not brittle. Like all 
amateur rodmakers, I have made mistakes in 
handgrasps, etc., and have tried to rectify them 
by heating, steaming or soaking them, to separate 
the parts so that the changes might be made. 
It is at such times that one learns with what 
obstinacy glue will resist attempts to separate 
parts joined with it. I have soaked a cork hand- 
grasp for three hours in steaming hot water 
54 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

without making the slightest impression on the 
glue, and have experimented with ordinary glue 
and prepared cements, all of which resisted se- 
vere treatment in a manner that surprised me. 

There are several prepared cements that are 
excellent and cheap. All should be warmed, say 
in a cup of hot water. Most of them can be 
thinned with vinegar. They are perhaps inferior 
to the commercial glues that are soaked and pre- 
pared fresh each time they are to be used, but 
their handiness appeals to the novice. 

Much depends on how the glue dries in split 
bamboo. It should not become brittle and break 
when the rod springs, nor be too sensitive to 
moisture. 

Ferrules can be seated with shellac, glue or 
various cements. I have found the cement known 
as Hercules very satisfactory. It is obtainable 
in the trade in twenty-five cent sticks. A very 
good article, known as the Fishing Gazette fer- 
rule cement, can be made as follows : 

Clear rosin, i ounce ; boiled linseed oil, i 
teaspoonful ; gutta percha, i drachm. Melt to- 
gether, pour into water, and pull. 

I have used silk wax with satisfaction made 
55 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

after a formula given by the late John Harring- 
ton Keene. It is as follows: 

Best yellow rosin, 2 ounces ; white beeswax, 
sliced, I drachm. 

Dissolve by slow heat and add 2^ drachms 
fresh unsalted lard. Stir for ten minutes, pour 
into water, and pull. It is to be wrapped in a bit 
of chamois skin and kept out of the dust. 

In this, as in the ferrule cement, it is well to 
rub your hands slightly with vaseline before tak- 
ing the wax out of the cold water, as otherwise 
it will adhere to the fingers at first. 

Another formula, which is recommended by 
Colonel R. F. Meysey-Thompson, in his "Ang- 
ling Catechism," follows: 

Powdered white rosin, gum arabic and lano- 
line, one part each; or two parts rosin and no 
gum arabic. Simmer together until melted, add 
a few drops of essence of lemon, pour into cold 
water, pull and roll until of the proper con- 
sistency, when it can be cut into cakes and wrap- 
ped in chamois skin. If too soft, add rosin; 
if too hard, add lanoline. Obviously it must be 
kept free from dust. 

The best colorless substance obtainable for use 
56 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

in waxing silk thread for winding rods or mak- 
ing artificial flies is mentioned by the late Harry 
G. McClelland in his excellent little book "The 
Fly-dresser's Cabinet of Devices." It is made by 
melting together equal parts (bulk) of amber 
rosin and turpentine and pouring into collapsible 
metal tubes such as artists use. When a thread 
is to be waxed, a little of the liquid is squeezed 
out of the tube on the finger and thumb, between 
which the thread is passed several times. The 
surplus wax is then removed from the fingers 
with a drop of turpentine. Fly-tyers use this 
liquid in preference to the silk wax mentioned 
above, as the latter is more likely to get hard 
and brittle in time through exposure to the air, 
and it is difficult to keep it clean and colorless. 

You will need a small bottle of the best grain 
alcohol shellac for coating all silk windings to 
preserve their original color. This is not to be 
used on the rod proper, however. 

The best varnish I have ever used on rods 
of all kinds is known as extra light coach. 
It comes in cans of all sizes fitted with air tight 
tin caps. It is better to get the smallest size, 
one-half pint, as when repeatedly exposed to the 
57 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

air it dries slowly unless thinned with turpentine, 
and this color makers invariably advise you not 
to do, as the thinning agency detracts from its 
good qualities. Instead it should be heated in a 
vessel of hot water. This varnish is elastic, does 
not crack, and dries quickly with a beautiful gloss 
if used while quite warm. 

Spar varnish is also good, but several coats 
of it are required, it lacks lustre, and dries slowly 
unless exposed to sun and wind. 

Purchase a three-quarter inch oval or flat brush 
of good quality for the varnish, and a thin round 
artist's brush for the shellac. Both should be 
washed carefully immediately after being used in 
hot water and soap, then dried and laid away 
out of the dust. 

Amateur fishing rod makers experience diffi- 
culty in obtaining silk of suitable sizes for wind- 
ing their rods. Those who live in small towns 
can only obtain size A or larger, which is too 
coarse for fly-rods and for the slender bait-cast- 
ing rods used so much in bass fishing and in 
tournament casting. No silk finer than A is car- 
ried by dry goods firms, but in this size every 
imaginable color and shade may be had. 
58 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

To be sure some of the fishing tackle dealers 
carry O and 00 in red, green, yellow and black ; 
but if one is particular and asks for a certain 
shade, the dealer does not always have it, and 
the next shade may prove disappointing if you 
happen to have part of your winding finished and 
desire a shade that will match nicely. The whole- 
sale silk houses will not sell to an individual in 
small lots as a rule, although they may some- 
times condescend to let him have a given num- 
ber of spools. No amateur could possibly use 
a quantity of silk, even if he were to wind every 
one of his rods solidly with it, and after several 
disappointments he is likely to fall back on A, 
even if it does finish up in lumps and welts that 
are not in keeping with the careful work he has 
put on the other details of his rod. 

There is one advantage in size A, however: 
every little store handling dry goods carries all 
colors and every shade that will match dress 
goods of silk, cotton or wool. If you have never 
noticed this, ask a saleswoman for a spool of 
green silk, and she will show you a score or 
more, and every one a different shade of green. 
No wonder you cannot buy silk by mail that will 
59 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

suit you, merely by naming a color. How this 
size can be split and used for all windings is 
described further on. 

In selecting silk there is always the tempta- 
tion to purchase more than you can ever use 
or give away, particularly shades that will dis- 
appoint you if wound on the rod and varnished. 
There are certain combinations that do not give 
the barber-pole effect so many anglers object to, 
yet are durable as to color. Black is a hideous 
color for a nice rod, but it looks well as borders 
for yellow or orange. Some shades of yellow 
lose all color under the varnish, and cream color 
becomes semi-transparent, and is often employed 
for that very reason. Blue, lilac and pale red 
fade rapidly when exposed to the sun, and pur- 
ple, often seen on some rods, is not always last- 
ing. Bright or flame red and medium apple green 
are generally satisfactory, but their brilliancy de- 
pends a great deal on what sort of varnish pro- 
tects them from the wearing of the line in casting 
— particularly on a fly-rod. 

In addition to the winding silk, purchase a tiny 
spool of buttonhole silk of any color, to be used 
in pulling the ends of the winding silk through 
60 



MOUNTING AND FINISHING MATERIALS 

and forming "endless" windings. Its use is ex- 
plained in the proper place. 

A spool of cotton or linen thread is also handy 
for use in tying guides on temporarily while test- 
ing your rods. If it is waxed it will be much 
more effective. I use linen for this purpose, 
fastening the guides in place with it while align- 
ing them, then cutting the thread when the guide 
is partly fastened with silk. 



6i 



CHAPTER IV 
Tools Needed in Rodmaking 

In preparing to make a fishing rod, after the 
wood and metal parts have been obtained, the 
next thing to consider is a workbench. If one 
is not at hand, and you do not know any car- 
penter or mechanic who will let you use his 
bench at odd times, a makeshift will answer. If 
a bit of plank can be laid across a table and 
secured against wobbling, it will serve. 

Of course a large iron vise will be very use- 
ful, but if this is not available, one of the little 
iron vises to be had in hardware stores for a 
dollar or less will answer very well ; in fact, 
you cannot afford to be without one if you are 
fond of making and repairing small articles. 

The tools you will require are few and simple. 
62 



TOOLS NEEDED 

At least two iron planes will be needed, one of 
medium size and the other very small, say four 
inches long, for finishing. Get a small oilstone 
in a wooden case, and never neglect to clean it 
carefully and wrap it in a cloth after using it, 
as otherwise its pores will become clogged with 




FIG. 25. 

Micrometer Caliper. 

gummed oil and dust, rendering it worse than 
useless. 

You will need one rather coarse flat file, say 
fourteen inches long, and a fine flat or three- 
cornered file, ^he latter preferred for split bam- 
boo work. Also get a sheet of fine emery cloth; 
coarse, medium and fine sandpaper; a small, 
thin saw; a flat steel scraper. A drill stock and 
several small drills are always useful. 

Calipers of some sort are necessary. The best 
obtainable is the micrometer caliper registering 
thousandths of an inch, with scales showing 
63 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

equivalents in 8ths, i6ths, 32ds and 64ths. One 
of these costs about $4, but its graduations are 
so fine that it is useful in other work as well 
as in rodmaking, and is almost indispensable for 
the angler who wishes to obtain exact calibers 
of rods, lines, silkworm gut, etc. These calipers 
are made by several firms, and all are of the 
form illustrated in Fig. 25. The size which is 
graduated in thousandths, and will take work 
up to an inch in diameter, is best for your pur- 
pose. 

The next best caliper is the one shown in Fig. 
26, or a similar device with sliding arm and 
scale graduated to 64ths and opening two inches. 
This is the most practical caliper for the begin- 
ner, as it is simple and small. Its cost is about 
$1.50. It has a lock nut and the reverse side 
gives looths of an inch. 

A much cheaper gauge is made of brass and 
boxwood, similar in form to Fig. 26. One of 
these will answer very well, although the gradua- 
tions are coarser than those of the other calipers 
mentioned. 

There are several devices that are used by 
some amateur rod builders which are not abso- 
64 



TOOLS NEEDED 

lutely necessary, but they are handy and can be 
made to take the place of calipers at times. 

You will not make your rod a true taper from 
handgrasp to top, but it will help you to know 
how to do this, for the tapering of the square 
stock can be made nearly uniform at first, in 
the rough. 




FIG. 26. 



Take a piece of cardboard and draw two 
straight lines 4^ inches long, 15-32 of an inch 
apart at one end and 7-64 of an inch at the other. 
This represents a uniform taper from the hand- 
grasp to the top of a 5^ foot rod. Mark off 
spaces every half inch to represent every six 
inch station from handgrasp to top, and number 
them 6, 12, etc., up to 54. The distance between 
the horizontal lines at every mark will give the 
caliber of the rod at that point; that is, the 
65 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

length of the mark numbered 24 will be equal to 
the diameter of the rod 24 inches from the hand- 
grasp, if the taper is uniform. Fig. orj ex- 
plains the method. To make the diagram handier 
let the horizontal lines be 9, 18 or z^ inches 
long, dividing the total into nine spaces of equal 
length, the result being alike in every case if 
the distances at the ends are exactly what the 
rod is to be at taper and top. 

Now, take a piece of brass and by sawing first 
and trimming with a file afterward, form a slot 
4^ inches deep, 15-32 inch wide at the top and 
7-64 inch wide at the bottom. Every half inch 
scratch a line across and mark these 6, 12, etc., 
with a sharp-pointed instrument. This will serve 
as a gauge for uniform tapering. 

If, however, you have decided what the cali- 
ber of your rod is to be at every six inch station, 
you can utilize a piece of brass with ten square 
notches filed in its edges, the largest being 15-32 
inch and the smallest 7-64, every notch to be 
equal in width to the caliber of the rod at the 
corresponding station. These can be numbered 
from 6 to 54 respectively in half feet. 

For smoothing off rough places on metal fit- 
66 



TOOLS NEEDED 

tings, taking the sharp comers off guides and 
many other little details, a fine three-cornered 
file will be very useful. I prefer the needle file 
because it will fit into a loop in the cover of 
my fly-book, and it can be used in lieu of a 
saw on occasion. A file of this sort is about 




FIG. 27. 

six inches long, flat on one side and slightly con- 
vex on the other. Its width is about one-eighth 
inch in the center, tapering to a fine point. Al- 
though somewhat , delicate, its high tempering 
prevents frequent breakage, and it can be used 
on rod fittings without scratching more than with 
emery cloth. 



67 



CHAPTER V 

Types of Bait-Casting Rods | 

To some persons it may seem that while an 
eleven-foot rod must be nicely tapered and bal- 
anced, a rod only half as long, being more or 
less stick-like, if made a given caliber, will 
answer. Nothing could be further from the 
truth. While it is a fact that a rod 5^ feet 
in length requires less time and material than 
one of the old-fashioned long bait-fishing rods, 
it must be even more carefully made, for an 
error of one-sixty-fourth of an inch in the 
caliber of butt or tip may render it compara- 
tively worthless. A mistake in the long rod may 
be hidden in its greater resilience, and this may 
save it, but reduce the length by one-half and 
you more than double the work required of each 
foot. 



TYPES OF BAIT-CASTING RODS 

For a long time after I first began to experi- 
ment with the modern bait-casting rods I felt 
sure that, for an all-round rod one of six feet 
or slightly longer seemed preferable to those of 
lesser lengths. Exhaustive experiments with 
rods of various lengths and with reels and lines, 
in fishing and in tournament casting have con- 
vinced me that if we make our bait-casting rods 
as delicate, relatively, as our fly-rods, and still 
retain ample resilience, strength and backbone, 
SV2 feet seems a very good average length. 

Numerous well-known advocates of short rods 
have arrived at the same conclusion. So well 
known are they that their advice seems worthy, 
especially as their conclusions have been proved 
sound by the vast number of 5^ foot rods used 
in the national casting tournaments and in bass 
fishing. 

Sometimes it is said that the modern bait- 
casting rod, like the long bow of merry England, 
should be proportioned to the owner's height 
and strength. There may be something in this, 
but I would hesitate to assert that a six-footer 
should select a rod of his height, and a man of 
medium stature one of five feet. 
60 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

Who was first to advance this theory I do 
not know, but Alfred Ronalds, in his "Fly- 
Fisher's Entomology" (London, 1836), said of 
salmon and trout fly-rods : 

"Like the bow of the archer, the rod of the 
angler should be duly proportioned in dimen- 
sions and weight to the strength and stature 
of him who wields it." 

Possibly a short man may get better result 
with a five-foot rod than with one of six feet, 
but there is little to recommend any rod shorter 
than five feet, since it must be stubby if badly 
proportioned, or weak if of too small diameter. 
If the handgrasp is less than twelve inches in 
length, and the taper begins at 15-32 of an inch 
and is hollow for a short distance, then gradual 
to the top, with a diameter there of 7-64 inch, 
the 66-inch rod will be equally serviceable for 
fishing and for practice in tournament casting. 
It may well be termed an all-round rod. 

In view of these facts, as well as for the sake 
of brevity and simplicity, I will try to instruct 
beginners in making bait rods 55^ feet in length. 
The application of the same principles to the 
making of rods of other lengths will follow 
70 



TYPES OF BAIT-CASTING RODS 

naturally and fly-rods will be treated separately. 
Several things must be considered by the be- 
ginner before he obtains his rod materials: 

First. It is evident that the ideal rod is one 
made of a single length of wood or split bam- 
boo, with a handgrasp permanently glued on its 
large end. But while this is particularly true 
of split bamboo, it does not apply with equal 
force to wood, as it is more difficult to obtain 
a slender straight-grained piece of wood sixty- 
six inches in length and free from knots and 
other imperfections. Still, this is not impossible. 

Second. A rod with only one joint. Such 
rods are frequently made with a long tip and a 
separate handgrasp. This is a most excellent 
type, and rods of this form are very popular. 
They are more compact than the one-piece rods, 
and almost if not quite equal to them. 

Third. A rod consisting of a butt and a tip 
of the same length. This is not quite the equal 
of rods of the second class, but much more 
handy to make and to carry about. Theoreti- 
cally the ferrule should not be placed in the 
middle of the rod; practically a very good rod 
can be so made. Its simplicity is marked. It 
71 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

is a very common type, particularly in salt water 
fishing. I have made several rods, each con- 
sisting of one length, and have invariably cut 
them in two later on, placing the ferrule in the 
middle, or in the thick part near the handgrasp. 
Very little difference in the action of these rods, 
before and after altering, was noticeable. 

Fourth. A rod consisting of a butt, a joint 
and a tip, all of equal length. This is the most 
common type known to-day, the handiest for 
carrying, but with its faults. Its ferrules are, 
in theory, placed to better advantage than are 
those of the rod of the second class. Practice 
undoubtedly proves this theory correct. In a 
rod of 5>^ feet, however, the ferrules materially 
stiffen it at these two points, and it must be 
very carefully proportioned. 



72 



CHAPTER VI 

One-Piece Bait-Casting Rods 

Assuming that you have obtained all the ma- 
terials needed, we will begin our actual rodmak- 
ing, taking the rods as they are given and com- 
mencing with one of the first class, as it is the 
easiest type to make. 

As your rod, when finished, is to be 5J/2 feet 
long, the agate top adding about ^^ of an inch, 
the wood should be slightly more than 5^ feet 
long, to allow for cutting down finally to 65^ 
inches. 

Assuming that your wood is f^-inch square 
and free from knots, plane it a trifle on all sur- 
faces and from both ends, to determine which 
way the grain runs; and having decided which 
shall be the butt end, drill two holes through the 
73 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

wood very close to that end, as shown in Fig. 28, 
and drive a brad in the right-hand end of your 
workbench, so that you can hook the big end of 
the wood over the brad and plane away from 
it, which is much more satisfactory than butting 



FIG. 28. 



the small end of the wood against a cleat at the 
far end of the bench. 

Plane the wood until it is straight and true, 
the gauge showing that it is ^ inch thick on 
each side throughout its length. If it is crooked, 
do not worry, and do not attempt to correct this 
by planing more off one side than the other. It 
can be straightened perfectly later on. Mark the 
exact center at each end with two lines crossing 
in the center. 

If your hand-grasp is to be single, mark .1 
point ten inches from the butt end and continue 
74 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

the line entirely around the wood. This will 
allow you to saw off an inch where the holes are, 
and give you space for a nine-inch hand-grasp. 
If the grasp is to be double, allow twelve inches, 
for an eleven-inch grasp. 

Begin at your pencil mark and plane carefully 
and evenly to the tip end on all sides. Use the 
caliper frequently, noting the diameter every six 
inches. If there is a thick place, mark it heavily 
with the pencil and plane that part lightly, then 
continue to reduce all sides until you have a 
nice even taper and the small end is 5-32 of an 
inch thick. Holding the tip end on the floor, 
exert a slight pressure and note the curve of the 
whole piece, which should arch nicely, the curve 
diminishing gradually toward the butt. Turn it, 
and see if the spring is fairly uniform on all 
sides. 

Now caliper carefully and trim off uneven 
places until the diameter of both sides is exactly 
alike at each six-inch station. Use the small 
plane for this work, setting it very fine. 

A piece of board with a groove in one edge, 
preferably four feet long, is now in order. Pine 
tongue-and-groove stuff, used for partitions, is 
75 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

ideal. Its value for other branches of rodmak- 
ing will be explained further on. Plane the edge, 
so that the groove will be shallow at the tip-end, 
and fasten it in the vise or nail it lightly to the 
side of the bench. Lay the rod in the groove, 
with one of the four corners uppermost, and 
setting your small plane a trifle coarse, take off 
the corner evenly from butt to tip, ignoring your 
pencil mark. 

Turn to the next corner and plane it, then the 
other two. Use the utmost care in transforming 
the strip from square to octagon form, and 
caliper frequently until it is of exactly the same 
diameter on every side at each six-inch station. 
You are now shaping the strip, so that the next 
step will make it round, and in this stage haste 
will work sad havoc with later plans. The eye, 
the caliper and testing the arch must all be de- 
pended on at this stage. Every one of the eight 
sides must be uniform, A perfect strip is illus- 
trated in Fig. 2>^. 

Setting your small plane very fine again, lay 

the strip in the groove and take off one of the 

corners the full length. Turn to the next one 

and remove it, and so on. The rod is now ap- 

76 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

proximately round, cylindrical in its first foot, 
then tapering gradually to the small end. 

There are various ways to make it perfectly 
round. One is to lay it flat on the bench, and 
holding it under the palm of the left hand, roll it 
backward and forward while sandpapering it 
with a sheet of that abrasive folded over a block 
of wood, held in the right hand and moved 
rapidly up and down the rod. I prefer the flat 
steel scraper, and turn the rod rapidly while 
working from end to end, using the grooved 
board to hold it steady. 

Stop frequently and draw the rod through the 
fingers to locate uneven places. If none are 
found, go over the rod thoroughly with sand- 
paper folded and held in the hand without the 
block. You are now ready for final tapering. 

At this stage I take a strip of paper the full 
length of the rod and draw two parallel lines on 
it, each 6sH inches in length. The upper line I 
mark "rough calibers," and the lower line "final 
calibers." Marks are placed on each line to in- 
dicate the place where the taper of the hand 
grasp is to be, then every six inches to the tip 
end. Lay the rod beside the upper line on your 
77 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

paper, caliper it at every station, and set these 
figures down on the corresponding mark. Note 
then carefully, for if the wood has been planed 
properly in the square, the tapers will be nearly 
uniform from hand-grasp to tip-end, but the 
wood will not, in this form, be properly pro- 
portioned for use. 

If you were working by rule-of-thumb, without 
a rod to copy, the only thing would be to put a 
top and guides on the rod temporarily, fasten a 
reel on the butt with cord, run the line through, 
attach a quarter- or half-ounce weight, and try a 
few casts; but the formula in Fig. 29 will save 
time. These calibers were taken from several 
bethabara rods that have seen long use in fishing 
and practice casting. 

If the wood is dagama or greenheart, add 1-64 
of an inch or a trifle less to each diameter 
given. Try the rod before deciding, for the action 
varies with different pieces of wood, and none 
can be exactly alike. In Fig. 29 the lower line 
of figures mark the six-inch stations; the upper 
figures the final calibers of a bethabara rod. It 
will be noted that, commencing at the cylindrical 
butt end, the calibers decrease rapidly to the 
78 



^ 8 



f] 



i^ 



i^ 



^ 






r^" 



A 



9. ^ 



" "in 



ft!^ 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

thirty-inch station, then are nearly uniform to 
a point close to the top. 

Mark these calibers on the lower line of your 
paper, and note the variations between them and 
the calibers of your rod. Then scrape or sand- 
paper from your pencil mark toward the tip, 
gauging often until your rod is very nearly as 
small as it is to be finally. Now tie on a reel, 
guides and top and try the rod in casting. If it 
pleases you, go over it lightly with fine sand- 
paper and fit the agate top permanently. Use 
a flat file in tapering the wood to fit the tube 
snugly. Heat your ferrule cement and coat the 
wood lightly with it, then heat the tube of the 
top, push it home and turn it around until the 
inside is evenly coated with cement. 

Measure from agate top to butt and saw the 
latter at the 66-inch mark. Warm the agate top 
over the flame of a match and remove it for the 
present. 

Select a number of corks and warm your glue. 
A piece of thin 15-32-inch tubing is now needed. 
An old ferrule will answer. File the outside of 
one end until the edge is sharp. Holding the 
tube in the center of a cork, with a pad in the 
80 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

palm of the hand to prevent that end from cut- 
ting you, turn the tube evenly until it cuts through 
the cork like a wad-cutter. The result will sur- 
prise you — a nice smooth hole through this seem- 
ingly difficult substance to work. Do not, how- 
ever, try to hammer the tube through the cork. 

Drop this cork circlet over the tip of your rod 
and push it slowly down to the butt, the last 
inch of which has previously been coated with 
hot glue. Punch out another cork, slide it down, 
coat the first one with glue, press them into close 
contact. Proceed in this manner until you have 
ten corks on the rod, giving you a handgrasp 
approximately five inches long. 

Now procure a piece of white pine five inches 
long and ^-inch in diameter. Bore a 15-32-inch 
hole through it and round off the outside until 
it will go inside the reelseat easily. This should 
be perfectly made, and it may be best to have 
it turned in a lathe. Taper one end until it will 
fit the taper of the reelseat nicely, while the other 
end should lack a quarter-inch of being as long 
as the reelseat. Slide this pine sleeve down over 
the rod (see Fig. 30), coat the rod and the upper- 
most cork with glue, press the pine sleeve home 
81 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

and put the rod aside for a couple of days until 
the glue dries.. 

If you want the handgrasp to be shaped in a 
certain way and be nicely finished, have it turned 
in a lathe. I prefer to have mine perfectly cylin- 
drical throughout, and press the reelseat into the 
top cork, leaving a right-angled shoulder to serve 
in lieu of a finger hook. I take a piece of sand- 
paper, folded round a block of wood, and turn- 
ing the rod rapidly, work back and forth length- 
wise of the grasp, gauging frequently, then using 
fine sandpaper until the grasp is cut down to 
I 1-16 inch in diameter. 

Taper the lower corks until the buttcap will 
fit snugly. Warm the buttcap, rub a little cement 
inside, push it home, and when it is cold drill 
a hole in it and into the butt of the rod, drive a 
brass pin home and file it off flush with the sur- 
face of the cap. Wipe off surplus cement. 

In fitting the reelseat over the pine sleeve, place 
the hooded end down, so that in fitting the reel 
to the seat the band will pull down and in this 
way bring the reel near the hand, so that the 
index finger will grip the cork shoulder and 
render your control of the reel and rod firm. 
82 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

If the yoke of the reel fits the seat as it should, 
and the band is tight, the reel will never work 
loose, even in a long fight with a big fish. 

The three-quarter inch commercial reelseat is 
about 41/2 inches long, and for bait-rods the cor- 
rect way — in theory, at least — is to fit it with 
the sliding band at the bottom, so that the band 
will push forward over the reel-yoke and counter- 
act the tendency of the reel to work loose in 
playing a fish. Fitted with the hood on the 
upper end of the reelseat, the reel goes so far 
forward that more than an inch of the seat is 
exposed, and the right hand must grip this metal 
instead of the firmer and less slippery cork or 
cord wound grasp; hence, the shape of a well- 
formed grasp counts for less than it should. 

If the handgrasp is single, the length of the 
reelseat does not so much matter, but when the 
grasp is double I prefer to cut the reelseat down 
to a length of zVa inches, and also file the after 
end of the reel-yoke until its length is only 2>^ 
inches. This brings the reel nearer the hand, 
and also places the upper grasp where the left 
hand can rest on it in spooling the line. 

Formerly I made all my bait-casting rods with 
83 



ROD MA KING FOR BEGINNERS 

double handgrasps, but have finally arrived at the 
conclusion that for tournament casting the upper 
grasp is a useless thing that serves only to stiffen 
the rod at that point. I always grasp the reel 
in spooling line and in playing a fish, holding the 
reel with three fingers of the left hand, while 
the index finger and the thumb spool the line. 
Making the grasp single and short adds to the 
resilience of the rod and makes it neater, and 
easier to build. I always place the hooded end 
of the seat down, and if the band is wedged 
tightly over the yoke, as it should be, there is no 
play. A great many sea and other rods are made 
with the hooded end down. 

See that the yoke of your reel is standard. 
Formerly every manufacturer made yokes as best 
suited his fancy, but some twenty years ago the 
National Rod and Reel Association adopted three 
standards for reel-yokes. The smallest, ^-inch, 
was cut on the arc of a ten cent piece ; for % 
inch reelseats, a nickel; and for i-inch reelseats, 
a silver quarter. Nearly all manufacturers fol- 
low these gauges. 

Assemble all the parts of the reelseat and push 
it down over the pine sleeve, working it well 
84 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

into the topmost cork, to form a waterproof 
joint. If the taper fits the tapered end of the 
pine sleeve, remove the seat, coat the sleeve with 
cement or glue and push the reelseat home. A 
brass pin through the hooded end and reelseat 
will fix the metal parts of your handgrasp rigidly. 
This pin should merely enter the wood of the 
rod, but not penetrate far, or it may weaken it. 
I prefer to use two very small brass camera 
screws, one on each side of the hood, and two 
of these instead of one pin in the buttcap. They 
are not so likely to work loose as is the case 
with pins. They should be ^H-inch long. 

Now, go over the rod with the finest sand- 
paper, wet the wood to raise the grain, let it 
dry, then cut it down with a bit of well-worn 
fine sandpaper, polish diligently with shavings 
from the rod, and finally rub with silk paper 
until you secure a high gloss. Replace the agate 
top, rub the rod with coach varnish on a rag, 
and suspend it on a brad in an airy or sunny 
place free from dust until it is dry. If it is 
crooked, let it hang with a heavy reel in place. 

Tie the guides on with cord, attach a reel, and 
practice with the rod until you are satisfied— 
85 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

either that it suits you or that it needs reduc- 
ing a trifle in places where it seems too stiff. If 
the latter use fine sandpaper, sparingly. 

Just here it is well to quote the late Major 
Traherne who, in 'The Badminton Library on 
Salmon and Trout," said of the greenheart sal- 
mon rod : 

"I am at a loss how to describe it, but its 
virtue lies in an equal distribution of strength. 
in proportion, from the butt to the point. A 
heavy butt, with no spring to it, and with a 
weak top, is of little use for casting purposes 
Deyond a certain distance. The spring should 
be felt, to a certain extent, to the bottom of the 
butt when casting; and I consider a rod which 
does not possess this quality of little or no 
value." 

This applies to all rods, whether for lure or 
fly-casting; but in finishing the bait-rod it is 
well to remember that for quick, snappy casting 
the taper from the middle to the tip-end should 
be more rapid than in a rod intended for slow, 
even casting with light lures, and for accuracy 
casting. In this the taper may be rapid for a 
short distance, then slow to the tip, giving greater 
86 



ONE-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

resilience to the whole rod, but retaining strength 
near the handgrasp. 

Several trials should satisfy you with the rod. 
If it is reduced in places, finish as before, with 
the final coat of varnish rubbed in. This thin 
coat serves as a protection under the silk wind- 
ings, which, as will be explained in the proper 
place, are put on without wax. You are now 
ready to wind and varnish the rod. 

If you decide to wind the grasp with cord, 
procure one of the pine single grasps which cost 
about twenty cents, and trim it to fit the reel- 
seat snugly, tapering at the forward end to fit 
the metal taper. Slide it down over the rod and 
glue it in place. When dry form a shoulder 
at the bottom so the cord will end there, as 
shown in Fig. 31, and wind with cord. The 
cord should be covered for a quarter-inch at the 
butt by the cap, and for an equal distance at 
the other end by the reelseat. The latter is put 
on in the same fashion as with a cork grasp. 

If you wish to make a double cork grasp, the 
reelseat and taper shown in Fig. 18 are neces- 
sary. In this case the corks for the lower grasp 
are followed with a pine sleeve a quarter-inch 
87 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

shorter at each end than the reelseat. This is 
cemented on and another cork pressed down until 
it butts against the sleeve and is pierced slightly 
by the upper end of the reelseat. More corks 
are glued on until the desired length of the small 
upper grasp is attained, then the glue given time 
to dry. The cork is then worked down, taper- 
ing forward until the small metal taper finishes 
it off. This is cemented lightly in place. 

A double grasp, cord wound, requires more 
care. It is first necessary to obtain a pine grasp, 
bored through. These come in the shape shown 
in Fig. 32, and much longer than necessary. Saw 
in the middle, fit, and wind the lower grasp, 
try the reelseat and cut off the cylindrical part 
of the grasp so that the joint will come under 
the reel, rather below the center. Attach the 
reelseat permanently and fit the upper grasp, mak- 
ing it fit snugly, but allowing for the thickness 
of the cord to be wound over it. Now wind a 
dozen turns of cord over the upper grasp (see 
Fig- 33) and try it, removing the cord and tak- 
ing off a little wood until it will butt against the 
other end under the reelseat. Replace the cord, 
coat the rod and inside of grasp with glue and 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

push it home. Continue the winding until the 
upper grasp is covered, then tie off and fit the 
taper (Fig. i8) snugly in place. 

These cord-wound grasps should be given two 
coats of shellac and one of coach varnish as soon 
as they are dry. It must be remembered that 
small cord, when varnished, is somewhat slip- 
pery when wet, and large cord harsh to the hand. 
If the size is equal to that of D or E silk line 
it will make a good grasp. 

I prefer the cork grasps for many reasons, 
among them being the ease with which they can 
be made after one has had a little practice. Cork 
must be humored, as it were. If you find that 
sandpapering the grasp lengthwise does not re- 
sult in a velvety finish, secure the rod in a vise 
after wrapping it with several thicknesses of 
cloth, and with a long strip of the finest sand- 
paper, go over the grasp just as a bootblack does 
with his polishing cloth, turning the rod occas- 
ionally. You will soon learn to impart a nice 
finish, and this will prove that you can, on a 
pinch, get along without the use of a lathe. 



90 



CHAPTER VII 

One-Piece Bait-Casting Rods with 
Separate Handgrasps 

To make a rod of the second class, in 
which the handgrasp is to be single and nine 
inches in length, the wood for the tip, in- 
clusive of the agate top, will be approximately 
58H inches long, as the ferrule center on the 
large end of the tip will enter the handgrasp fer- 
rule about i^ inches. These ferrules should be 
15-32 of an inch in diameter and of the type shown 
in Fig. 17. The large end of tip is marked for a 
distance equal to the small end of the center, 
and the wood carefully reduced with a file until 
it will enter the center snugly to its very end, 
as illustrated in Fig. 34. The center is then 
cemented on, and the tip is ready for its rubbed 
coat of varnish and the winding. Obviously 
this tip is to be made of the same diameter as 
91 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

rods of the first class — described in a preceding 
chapter — save that it begins to taper at the 
ferrule. 

Rods of this class are not always made with 
two tips, but this can be done by purchasing 
two centers to fit the ferrule in the hand-grasp. 
By making one tip as described above, and the 



d 



'immiimviw m wim)W)Wm)i))nn)))))winiminn,n,n 



FIG. 34. 
Large end of tip, shouldered to fit a capped ferrule center. 

other one with a rapid or hollow taper for six 
inches above the ferrule, then gradual to the 
small end, practically two rods will be the re- 
sult. One tip can be stiff, for distance casting, 
and the other one more willowy, for accuracy 
or light lure casting — a very useful combina- 
tion. I have made a tip of this sort from 
bethabara which will cast a quarter-ounce lure 
nicely, and is so well proportioned that it is 
a pleasant rod to fish with. The dimensions 
92 



ONE-PIECE RODS WITH SEPARATE HANDGRASPS 

follow, and may be compared for reference with 
those given in Fig. 29. The center is 15-32 of 
an inch, and the wood tapers quickly at first, to 
23-64 at the six-inch mark; at 12 inches, 21-64; 
18 inches. 19-64; two feet, 17-64; 2^ feet, 15-64; 




WBiiiiijimmiimimmmmiiin}^ 



fiw 



wmwmmimiH 



FIG. 35- 
Ferrule riveted on wood core of hand-grasp, pine sleeve 
ready to be glued on, and reel-seat and corks for grasp. 



three feet. 13-64; 3^ feet, 11-64; four feet, 5-32; 
4V4 feet. %; 58>4 inches, at the top, 7-64 of an 
inch. 

A separate single hand-grasp can be made as 
follows: Fit the ferrule (Fig. 17) on a piece of 
light but springy wood like spruce, dagama or 
greenheart. This must be rounded nicely and 
the ferrule seated on it just so that the center 
93 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

will not touch the wood. Cement and rivet the 
ferrule on to the core, fit a pine sleeve over the 
wood and the ferrule, with forward end of sleeve 
tapered to fit a reel-seat like that shown in Fig. 
i6. Now try the reel-seat, and when it fits snugly, 
with its lower end extending a quarter-inch be- 
low the pine sleeve, glue the sleeve on the wood 
and the reel-seat on it, and rivet or screw the 
reel-seat in place. 

Slide a perforated cork forward over the 
wood and work the end of the reel-seat into it 
until it butts against the end of the sleeve. Glue 
this cork in place, following with others until 
the total length of grasp, inclusive of reel-seat, 
is nine inches, when the wood core is cut off 
and the cork finished and fitted with a butt- 
cap. A hand-grasp of this form will never come 
apart if properly made. Its parts are anchored 
at both ends. 

If to be cord-wound, the pine grasp is fitted 
over the wood core and ferrule, the taper placed 
over the ferrule and the grasp fitted to it, as in 
Fig. 35. Beginning at a point that will be 
covered by the after end of the reel-seat, the 
grasp is wound a few times with cord and the 
94 






c 
o 

S s 




RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

reel-seat fitted over it. The core is then coated 
with glue and the grasp pushed forward until 
the reel-seat and the tapered end of the grasp fit 
closely, when the winding is resumed and tied 
off at the shouldered butt end. The butt cap 
and reel-seat being riveted in place, this sepa- 
rate grasp is ready for shellac and varnish. 

If to be double, and cord-wound, the forward 
grasp is first fitted over the wood core, the 
taper (Fig. i8) pushed up against the welt on 
the ferrule, and a few turns of cord wound on 
the tapered end of the upper grasp, then this 
grasp glued in place on the wood core, with 
the winding covered by the taper. Continue to 
wind down to the cylindrical part, fit the reel- 
seat and glue it on, wind a few turns over the 
lower grasp, try it and finally glue it in place, 
then wind to the shouldered butt end and fit 
the butt cap. The two parts of the pine grasp 
abut inside the reel-seat, as illustrated in Fig. 33. 



96 



CHAPTER VIII 

Two-Piece Bait-Casting Rods 

For a rod consisting of two pieces of equal 
length, it is well to begin with a butt three feet 
long and 5^-inch square, and two tips, each 
three feet by ^-inch. If the taper is to be the 
same as in the rod of the first class, the only 
extras will be a 17-64 inch ferrule with two 
closed-end centers, one for each tip. The tips 
will taper from 17-64 to 7-64 inch. 

Naturally the beginner would make the butt 
first, whereas I advise him to make the tips 
first, for this reason: The offset and tube tops 
are not all of the same length, and if it is de- 
sired to make all pieces exactly the same length, 
the tips should be finished first. This applies 
especially to three-piece rods, in making which 
it is difficult for the beginner to figure correctly 
on the separate parts; for the length of the tip 
97 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

is added to when the top is put on, and each of 
the ferrules adds something, so that it is hard 
to get all pieces of the same length without 
wasting time trying and cutting until all are 
correct. I give exact lengths for each piece, 
but if it is desired to make the rod longer or 
shorter than five and one-half feet, it must be 
remembered that the trimmed tip shown in Fig. 
38 is slightly more than one-half the total length 
of the rod, for the reason that the ferrule on the 
butt adds 1% inches to the actual length of the 
wood; hence the wood in the butt must be 
slightly shorter than the wood in the tips, in 
order that all parts will be the same length 
when completed. 

Extreme care must be exercised in fitting the 
centers on the tips, as the least uneven place 
will force the center out of true alignment, and 
this applies to the ferrule, too. It is also easy 
to break a tip in sandpapering. When the tips 
are finished (see Fig. 37) they will be 33 inches 
in length and 33}i when fitted with centers and 
tops, as shown in Fig. 38. When polished far 
the last time, they should be rubbed witb 
varnish and suspended. 



. o 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

One of the common bevel-gear drill stocks, 
with a chuck large enough to take a i4-i"ch 
drill can be made to serve you in a way its 
manufacturers probably never thought of. This 
tool is made with a revolving wheel and handle 
on one side, for the right hand, and a stationary 
knob on the other, for steadying with the left 
hand. Remove this knob and fasten its spindle 
in the vise, wheel and handle on top. The 
chuck will take one of your tips, but do not 
close it too tightly. Turn the wheel with your 
left hand and polish your tips with a bit of sand- 
paper held in the right hand, moving forward 
and back very rapidly, to prevent circular 
scratches. If the tip is springy, be very careful 
as you approach its small end, for with this 
makeshift lathe you may snap off the end if 
you happen to let the sandpaper slip and catch it. 

By fitting a wood plug into the ferrule and 
securing the other end of the plug in the chuck, 
you can polish the butt or joint of your rod, 
but it is advisable to have some one else turn 
the wheel while you support the rod with one 
hand and polish with the other. This of course 
applies to tips, too. 

lOO 



1 



L't 



1^ 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

The butt of your rod will be 32^^ inches long 
when ready for ferrule and hand-grasps (see 
Fig. 39)- It will taper from 15-32 at the for- 
ward end of grasp to 19-64 at the ferrule, the 
cap on this ferrule being 1-32 of an inch larger 
than the cap on its center. 

At first the tip may seem too heavy, but it 
must be remembered that it should be heavier 
in a wood rod than in one of split bamboo, and 
that whereas many split bamboo tournament 
rods are made with very little resiliency in the 
butt, the wood rod, when the tip is placed on 
the floor and pressure applied, should show a 
nice arch for more than half its length from 
the tip, while there should be quite a bit of 
spring below the ferrule. There is no fixed rule 
for determining how much to take off the butt. 
Testing it repeatedly will be the best plan, but 
if it still seems too stiff, the diameter of the butt 
must be reduced with the greatest care, else you 
may go too far. Placing the ferrule in the 
center of the rod requires more care in trying it 
out than if there are two ferrules — as in a three- 
piece rod — ^but practice with reel and weight will 
satisfy you. 

102 



TWO-PIECE BAIT-CASTING RODS 

When the taper of the butt joint suits you, the 
grasp is put on as described in Chapter VI., the 
wood is finished as described for the tips, rubbed 
with varnish, and it is then ready for winding. 
It is made without pins through ferrule and 
centers, as will be noted. Pins keep the ferrules 
in place, but unless put in by an expert, they 
may weaken the wood where it needs strength, 
and good cement may be depended on. At 
most a ferrule may work loose, but it is merely 
necessary to warm it temporarily to secure it 
until it can be removed and put back with new 
winding or a little more cement. 

All of the best rods are equipped with pinned 
ferrules, and they seldom work loose. But these 
are fitted by expert workmen, aided by the 
finest machine tools. As I am writing from 
thfe beginner's point of view, I advise cement 
only. Should a joint be broken while you are 
far from home, there is no troublesome pin to 
pick out. Instead, you warm the ferrule, push 
out the broken wood and set the ferrule on a 
freshly fitted part. 



103 



CHAPTER IX 

Three-Piece Rods 

The most common type known is the 
three-piece rod, the separate parts of which 
are of equal length. The angler who must 
go far afield for his fishing demands a rod 
that is compact, just as he wants a take-down 
gun in the autumn. The difficulty experienced 
in traveling in trains and street cars, as well 
as in walking through crowded streets argues 
against unwieldy parcels, and the fly or bait rod 
must be made in lengths convenient to carry. 
The rodmaker might argue until doomsday in 
favor of long-joint rods, claiming better action, 
greater strength, etc., but he could never per- 
suade his patrons that these qualities outweigh 
the greater handiness of short joints. 

This being true, the rodmakers place the 
joints where they will affect the action of the 
104 



THREE-PIECE RODS 

rods the least; namely, in two places, making 
even an ii-foot fly-rod conveniently portable 
when taken down. They carry this practice to 
the longest salmon rods, which are nearly al- 
ways made in three joints, proving that no 
maker likes to place ferrules in the middle of 
the rod — which is necessary in making a four- 
joint rod. The principal exceptions are the short 
two-piece salt-water rods, which are more or 
less stiff throughout their length; and the short 
bait-casting rods. 

In a 5J^-foot bait-casting rod of the necessary 
caliber, two ferrules make the joints very short, 
and the stiff metal is actually about one-eighth 
the total length of the rod. Aside from the fact 
that the ferrules in short three-piece rods are 
placed to better advantage, the rod made in two 
pieces of equal length is to be recommended. 
Certainly it is almost as easy to make two of 
this type as one with three joints and an extra 
tip. When the three-j.oint rod is to be made 
6 or 6y2 feet long, however, its advantages in- 
crease with its length. 

In a sH-foot rod made in three pieces of 
equal length, and of the caliber given in Fig. 
los 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

29, the ferrules will be 21-64 inch, with one 
center; and 13-64 inch, with two centers, for the 
tips. The tips when completed and fitted with 
tops, will be 22^ inches long and will be tapered 
from 13-64 to 7-64. Finish these first. It is 
well to bear in mind that you cannot make each 
of the other two joints one-third of the total 
length of the finished rod, for the reason that 
the tip is to be pushed one inch into the ferrule 
of the middle joint, and this in turn 1% inches 
into the ferrule on the butt joint, while these two 
ferrules add to the actual length of the two 
lower parts. 

A more difficult problem in division and ad- 
dition it would be hard to find. The first time 
I tried to make a rod of three pieces of equal 
length I almost gave it up in despair, for despite 
what I thought was exact calculation, the sepa- 
rate parts would vary or the total would be too 
great. Finally I drew a pencil mark on the 
floor just 5^ feet long, and sitting down, 
puzzled the problem out by placing the three 
parts of the rod, with the ferrules beside them, 
on the line, and measuring until the adjustments 
were correct. 

106 




Q f 

O — 

o I 

2 « 

H ^ 

< ii 






THREE-PIECE RODS 

The actual length of the middle joint will be 
2i}i inches, for the top or female ferrule will 
extend i inch beyond the wood, making this 
joint 22^A inches when it is finished. Taper the 
wood from 21-64 to 15-64, it being remembered 
that the cap of the ferrule is slightly larger in- 
side than the caps of its centers. Cement the 
ferrule on the small end of the middle joint 
and the center of the butt ferrule on the other 
end. 

The wood of the butt joint will be 21^ inches 
long, as the ferrule adds 1'^/^, making its total 
length 22^ inches. Taper it from 15-32 at the 
pencil mark, indicating the upper end of the 
handgrasp, to 11-32, to fit the cap of the ferrule, 
which is 21-64 at the small end. 

You are now ready for the handgrasp, the 
various forms of which are described in pre- 
ceding chapters. Careful testing is necessary 
before this rod can be finished, for different 
pieces of wood vary considerably, and it is 
seldom one can make all the tapers just what 
he expects to. The two lower joints may need 
fining down until the action suits you, and in 
some rods I have substituted 19-64 for the 21-64 
107 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

inch lower ferrule, making a hollow taper from 
handgrasp forward a few inches, then uniform 
taper to the first ferrule. 

If the rod is to be six feet long, which will 
make it much sweeter for fishing and accuracy 
casting — its three joints considered — the ferrules 
should be 15-64 and 21-64. One of my favorite 
bethabara rods is 5 feet 10^ inches long and 
it is a very pleasant rod to fish with. Its 
ferrules and calibers are the same as those given 
above. 



108 



CHAPTER X 

Split Bamboo Rods 

Few amateurs attempt to make split bamboo 
rods because they believe the work is too com- 
plicated. It is at once a difficult and yet a 
very simple proposition, as will appear later on. 
Good material properly worked up will give 
you a first-class rod. Patience and perseverance 
are necessary, for the preparatory work requires 
great care, and the least slip of plane or file 
may ruin an otherwise perfect strip. 

You cannot copy a wood rod in bamboo, for 
aside from the fact that they are essentially 
different in every way, you can always measure 
the exact diameter of your wood rods, but 
must measure the "flat" surfaces of the hex- 
agonal bamboo, and these do not give true 
calibers. Neither can you hope to determ'nc 
109 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

its calibers in the professional way. Long ex- 
perience tells them where a rod needs strength, 
and where it should be tapered rapidly. Even 
in examining one of their rods you will not 
notice the slight variations at certain places, 
which seem trivial to you, but are the result of 
burning much midnight oil and trying, altering, 
testing to attain perfection. 

In making each of the strips you halve the 
actual caliber, but only approximately. Finally, 
you must work very slowly. If you finish six 
perfect strips of whatever length in a day you 
will work faster than you should. Remember 
that you cannot use your split bamboo rod as 
soon as finished, as you can a wood rod. There- 
fore, go slow. 

These remarks are not intended to discourage 
you, but rather to make you cautious. The first 
time I actually finished six strips of bamboo and 
began to glue them, my hands trembled so that 
the work was very poorly done; for I had been 
told that I could not do it, and I half expected 
them to fly apart despite the excess of glue on 
the strips, on my hands and on the floor. As a 
matter of fact you will be delighted — ^just as I 
IIO 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS. 

was — and the result will be much more satis- 
factory than you anticipate. 

If you decide to use Calcutta, select several 
canes i>4 inches or more in diameter at the 
large end, having in mind the fact that the 
burns must not penetrate the enamel. Pound 
each piece smartly on the floor and examine 
closely for worm holes, and the dust from them. 
Cut the pieces at least a foot longer than the 
finished joint is to be. Split them through the 
eyes where the leaves grew, for this part is 
worthless. An old table knife will serve the 
purpose. This will leave about two-thirds of 
each cane from which to make selections. 
Split up enough to give you six good pieces, 
and plane two sides of each strip, leaving it 
nearly equare in section. Keep in mind the 
fact that the rind or enamel is not to be touched 
with any tool. In squaring up the strips ap- 
proximate the taper of each one, but otherwise 
do not disturb the pith side. 

Examine each strip carefully for worm holes, 
and if there is the slightest indication of these 
in it, break it up. Worm-eaten bamboo is the 
bane of the rodmaker. 

Ill 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

File the knots slightly and lay the strips side 
by side, rind up. Now note the burns again, 
and if any of them char the enamel, reject that 
strip and try another one. Next try the strips 
which contain the leaf eyes, bending them in 
every direction and noting the arch as well as 
their inclination to set. If they will not spring 
back straight, particularly when the rind is on 
the convex side of the curve, they may not be 
properly seasoned. If faults appear in these 
rejected strips, examine their mates, which you 
propose to use, but do not subject them to 
severe strains. The weeding out of poor ma- 
terial, if it is done at this stage, may save time 
and labor later on. See that the bamboo has 
no greenish hue, indicating that it is not sea- 
soned. It should be yellow and split far ahead 
of the knife blade. 

If six strips pass inspection, place them so 
that no two knots will be opposite or even near 
each other, saw ofif the ends and mark all of 
the strips, so that they cannot be reversed by 
accident. Dipping the butt ends in red ink is a 
good plan. Number them from i to 6 on the 
rind side. They should be some three inches 

112 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

longer than the finished joint is to be, so that 
you will have leeway in trimming the ends. 

Sharpen your plane on an oilstone until its 
edge is very keen. Bamboo requires the utmost 
care in planing, and a dull tool must not be 
used on it. Set the plane very fine and test it 
on a rejected strip of cane. It is well, too, to 
put an old glove on your left hand while you 
hold the cane in place in planing and filing it. 
A slip may result disastrously, for the rough 
edge of a triangular strip of cane will make a 
jagged wound. 

If your material is Tonkin cane, the same 
rules laid down for Calcutta may be applied 
to it. 

You will now prepare to bevel two sides of 
each one of your strips, to make its section 
triangular, with the apex exactly opposite the 
center of the enamel base, and the angle formed 
by the two sides to be 60 degrees, as illustrated 
in Fig. 44. 

There are "forty-'leven" ways to do the rough 

beveling, and as many more methods employed 

in finishing the strips. You can begin to bevel 

the strips in the grooved edge of a tongued- 

113 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

and-grooved board. Another way is to nail a 
strip of wood near the edge of your work bench, 
forming a right-angled rabbet. Some rodmakers 
use a hardwood block with rabbets cut in two 
corners. Still another plan is to prepare two 
blocks like those illustrated in Fig. 41, with the 
angle of the groove 60 degrees. 

I like the grooved board referred to in the 
chapter on "One-Piece Bait-Casting Rods." You 
can procure a piece about four feet long and 
keep it handy. It is serviceable for rounding 
wood rods, for squaring bamboo strips, which 
lie well in the groove; and for the preliminary 
beveling of these strips. This piece of board, 
and the hardwood block illustrated in Fig. 42, 
will answer all your requirements in split cane 
work. 

Some amateurs, however, like to use blocks 
similar to those illustrated in Fig. 41. To make 
these, procure two pieces of seasoned hard- 
wood. Cherry, birch or maple will be better 
than oak; beech will answer. Make the blocks 
four feet long, 2 inches wide and i^ inches 
thick. Plane off the corners as indicated by 
the dotted lines in Fig. 41. Plane very carefully, 
114 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

a little at a time, then fasten the two blocks 
temporarily in the vise while you test the 
groove with the handy little gauge illustrated 
in Fig. 43. This is a center gauge costing 
twenty cents at hardware shops, and it not only 
has three 60-degree notches, but scales gradu- 
ated in I4ths, 20ths, 24ths and 32ds of an inch. 
As it is tempered steel, you can true up the 



M u 



V 



cessQSCCE JSSSaSi' 



J\ 



FIG. 41. 



groove with it and with a three-cornered file 
from which the handle has been removed. Both 
the gauge and the file have angles of 60 degrees. 
The depth of the groove does not so much mat- 
ter as its shape, for on this depends the char- 
acter of your finished strips. 

When satisfied that one of the grooves is 
correct, fasten the two blocks securely with at 
least four screws, reverse and true up the other 
groove. 

"5 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

We will assume, for the sake of brevity and 
simplicity, that your first groove is to be for 
the rough beveling of the strips of the butt joint 
of a two-piece rod, whose diameter at the large 
end is to be 15-32 of an inch, and at the small 
end 9-32. We will also assume that the depth 
of the groove is uniformly ^-inch from end to 
end. Secure the block against shifting and 
plane its face until the depth of the groove at 
one end is 15-64 and at the other 9-64 inch. To 
be certain there are no uneven places, test with 
a straight edge, both lengthwise and across the 
block, then mark its entire face with a pencil. 

The depth of the second groove will range 
from 9-64 to 3-64, assuming that the tip end 
of your rod is to be 3-32 inch when finished. 

Now place a squared strip of cane in the 
large groove of your block, with the rind at one 
side, and take ofif a very fine shaving with your 
plane. Turn the strip and plane the other side, 
being careful to go over the knots with a shear- 
ing motion, else the plane will "bite" into the 
knots. See that you do not take off any of the 
face of the block, which you marked with 
pencil for this purpose. 

116 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

By this time your strip will be roughly tri- 
angular, but the edges should not be sharp. 
Take up another strip and bevel it in the same 
fashion and so on until the six strips are ready 
for the finer work. 

Turn the block over and bevel the strips for the 




FIG. 42. 

tips in the shallow groove, then lay the block 
aside. Some amateurs finish their strips in 
grooves of this sort, but it is so difificult to make 
a perfect groove of this length, and to prevent 
the strip from rolling, that the following method 
is the better one: 

For this purpose procure a block of hard 
117 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

maple, birch or beech, two inches thick, 2^2 
inches wide and six inches long. Make it fast 
in the vise and with a pencil draw four parallel 
lines from end to end. With a saw cut shallow 
grooves on these marks. Take up your three- 
cornered file and cut the first groove. Its bot- 
tom will be slightly round, as the edge of the 
file is rather blunt, but you can true up the 
groove with the point of your steel gauge (Fig. 
43). Cut the first groove 15-64, the second 
13-64, the third 11-64, and the fourth 9-64 inch 
deep. In this work the utmost care must be 
exercised to keep the top side of the file level 
with the surface of the block, to keep the angles 
of the groove perfect. 

Turn the block over, draw four or five lines 
as before, groove them with the saw, and file 
the grooves. (See Fig. 42.) Make the first 
one 5^-inch deep, the second 7-64, the third 3-32, 
the fourth 5-64 and the last one 1-16 inch deep. 
These are for your tips, which require the 
greatest care; therefore the grooves may be 
safely made uniform in depth and you can shift 
steadily to a smaller groove as you file from the 
large to the small end. Cover both faces of the 
118 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

block with pencil marks, to assist you in keep- 
ing the file out of contact with the block. 

Fastening this block in the vise with the larger 
set of grooves up, begin with one of the strips 
for the butt of your rod. Lay it in the largest 
groove with the enamel at one side, and com 
mencing at the butt end, work your flat file for- 




FIG. 43. 



ward and back, being careful to hold it parallel 
with the face of the block. Turn the strip often, 
in order that you may be sure to keep the angles 
true, and go from groove to groove until the 
strip is reduced evenly throughout its length, 
beginning again in the largest groove and con- 
tinuing as before, until the strip will lie in the 
groove flush with the surface of the block, no 
matter which side is uppermost. Do not attempt 
to file across the grain of your strip, as it will 
119 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

sliver if you do. The plane cannot with safety 
be used in finishing strips. The proper tool for 
this is the flat file. 

Test all angles of the strip frequently with 
the little steel gauge, going from end to end, 
filing, testing, sighting along the strip, blowing 
the dust out of each groove before laying the 
strip in it. 

Proceed in Hke fashion with the other strips, 
each one of which must be an equilateral tri- 
angle in section ; that is, excepting the convexity 
of the rind side. In other words, the apex of 
the triangle must be exactly opposite the center 
of the enamel base, as in Fig. 44, and the angle 
formed by the two pith sides 60 degrees. Each 
of the edges must be sharp, and in order to 
make them so, be careful that you do not raise 
a sliver at the enamel edges, and in removing 
it destroy the perfection of the glue joint. 

Turning the grooved block over, take up your 
strips for the tips. Even greater care is neces- 
sary with them, for they run so small at the tip 
end that the least error will ruin one. Use the 
gauge frequently. Do not be satisfied with a 
fair strip; make it perfect. Keep in mind the 
120 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

fact that you cannot use the rod for several 
months, anyway, and that a day more or less in 
finishing strips will not matter. 

I have said split cane rodmaking is both diffi- 
cult and simple. If you will be careful and 
patient, the difficulties will be overcome. Could 
anything be more simple than this little block 
of hardwood, which you can carry in your 




FIG 44. 



|BH»««<i^rsa 



{■igi 111,1 II ■■«■, 



FIG. 45- 




FIG. 46. 



pocket, and which is easily made, yet is in fact 
a mold for all the strips of your rod? Despite 
all the advances in toolmaking and in labor sav- 
ing devices, some of the most expert rodmakers 
use this little hand-made block of wood. 

By the time you have finished the six strips 
for the tip of your rod, you will have acquired 
great respect for the six-inch block. In a block 
the full length of a strip the tendency of the 
latter to roll is very aggravating, but in the 
121 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

short block this is greatly reduced, although 
not entirely overcome, it being difficult to hold 
even this short length against rolling when the 
enamel side is convex. 

It must be understood that one set of grooves 
will serve for a long one-piece rod, for one part 
of a two-piece rod, or for one part of a three- 
piece rod, provided their number and depth are 
properly regulated. The angle for all is the 
same, and the notches in your steel angle gauge 
will be correct for testing all strips. 

There are many other methods employed in 
beveling and tapering strips, as I said before, 
but the simplest one is given here, for if the 
beginner is confronted with a complicated sys- 
tem involving planes fitted with bevel blocks, ad- 
justable "shooting boards," taper gauges and 
protractors, he cannot be blamed for shying 
from this interesting branch of rodmaking. 

When your strips are finished, their glassy 
surfaces may seem to be poor holding ground 
for glue, and you may be tempted to roughen 
them. This is a mistake. To satisfy yourself, 
wet one of the surfaces slightly and after it has 
dried, pass your finger over it. You will find the 

122 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

grain raised enough to prove that this will be 
taken care of by the hot glue. 

Fit a set of six strips together and wind them 
spirally with thread, so that they will all be in 
perfect contact. Examine all parts carefully and 
see that the pith sides come together through- 
out, and that no strip sinks below its proper 
plane, as it will do if its taper is not the same 
as that of the other strips. In this case a new 
strip must be made to replace it. Cheap rods 
are often corrected for this fault by winding 
a narrow piece of paper spirally around the 
imperfect place in the strip, then removing the 
paper from the surface after gluing, but this is 
not to be recommended, as you would regret it 
later on, perhaps by the seam opening. Gauge 
carefully the taper of the assembled strips and 
mark all places that need further reducing. 

In a preceding chapter I said that double 
enamel rods are excellent if carefully made. In 
working thin-walled cane this system has some 
points of excellence, and the amateur who is 
skilled with the plane and the file can work 
it nicely, especially for butts and middle joints. 

Square up the rough stock and match two 
123 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

Strips with reference to the knots. Decide 
which is to be the surface strip and plane it to 
rectangular section, with the rind on the bot- 
tom. Do not touch the rind. Now plane the 
second or inner strip to match, but file off just 
enough of the center of the rind to make a glue 
joint, it being remembered that the convex rind 
of the inner strip cannot otherwise be glued 
to the pith side of the outer strip. Glue the 
strips together, wind with cord, place under a 
weight or clamp together until dry. In section 
your double enamel strip will be like Fig. 45, 
while Fig. 46 shows the sectional view of a 
finished strip. It is best to make the outer strip 
thinner than the inner one, as in this way the 
maximum of rind is obtained. 

It must be understood that in filing the rind 
of the inner strip, only a very small portion of 
its center is to be removed. This will affect 
the strip very little when the two are glued 
together. 

It is not advisable for the beginner to try this 
method on tips until he has mastered the less 
complicated hexagonal work, if at all. 

When your assembled strips are ready for 
124 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

gluing, warm them while heating the glue, and 
for each set of strips have ready a piece of 
strong thread. You can glue the strips with 
another person's assistance. To do this glue a 
few inches at a time, your assistant keeping them 
separated for the purpose. Wind them spirally, 
glue a few more inches, wind again, and so on 
until finished, then wind back to the place of 
beginning. Whatever the method, pass the 
strips over a flame before pressing them into 
contact, in order to be sure the glue is hot, and 
after the strips have been wound in one direc- 
tion they can be again passed over a flame, then 
the reverse winding completed. I prefer to use 
the best French glue, applying it with a flat 
brush while very hot. Before using fresh glue 
I soak it over night in cold water. It should 
be quite thin. 

Now sight along each strip alternately and 
correct the natural tendency to twist spirally. 
Rolling in the hands while gluing will partially 
correct this. Fasten the glued stock on a board 
or a rod by winding loosely around both, to 
prevent warping. 

Glued joints should be left in a warm room 
125 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

until thoroughly dry. A month is not too long, 
and the best rodmakers dislike to let rods go 
out of their shops if the stock has had less than 
four months to dry and harden. As a rule they 
glue their stock in the autumn and make up 
rods from it the following spring, these rods 
being kept out of the anglers' hands for six 
months at least. Tournament rods should sea- 
son even longer, for they are put to the severest 
tests. 

Since the above was written I have received 
from P. S. Redfield, of Providence, R. I., a 
veteran angler, some suggestions that are prac- 
tical. He says: 

"If you will pardon me, I would like to make 
a simple suggestion as regards gluing split bam- 
boo for rods. As you know, all labor is lost and 
bitter disappointment follows if the gluing prove 
defective. After various failures in gluing bam- 
boo strips together, it occurred to me to devise 
some simple but sure method of gluing and the 
following glue-pot was invented. Get a piece of 
common speaking tube — such as were formerly 
used in houses to call the kitchen girl to the 
chambers or dining room. One inch in diameter 
126 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

is sufficient and 2]/^ feet long. On one end 
solder a piece of brass or copper three inches 
square for a base, and it is ready for the thin, 
hot glue that has been freshly prepared in a 
sauce-pan set in another dish of boiling water. 
The glue should thus be well cooked — say an 
hour — stirring frequently with a thin wood 
paddle. 

"Enough glue should be thus prepared to about 
fill the tube. Now set the thing in a teakettle of 
boiling water and the glue will keep hot — a very 
important thing for success — till you glue all 
your pieces. When through using, and while the 
glue is hot, empty the tube and rinse well in hot 
water till perfectly clean of glue, dry and hang 
bottom up for further use. 

"Too much care cannot be taken to prevent 
rusting this tube — as rust and dirt will spoil glue 
— and so much depends on the gluing. 

"I need not tell how to use this glue-pot, as 
you have already given directions to have the 
pieces for each joint wound spirally with coarse 
thread. It will be well to unwind a few inches 
at a time, commencing at the small end. As the 
piece is unwound, and pushed down in the glue, 
127 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

it will act like an egg-beater and consequently 
glue all surfaces. When half of a piece has been 
thus unwound and whipped in the glue, wind the 
thread back, pressing the strips together and the 
glue out; then unwind the other end to a little 
beyond where the glue reached before, thus 
surely gluing every part; then rewind and have 
a rag handy in a dish of hot water to gently 
wipe most of the glue from the outside of the 
joint. Do not wipe too clean, for if a Httle glue 
is left on the thread all the better, and no trouble 
will be found in taking off the winding." 

Remember that no matter how perfect your 
glue joints are, if your gluing is badly performed 
your work will be wasted. It is folly to attempt 
to glue strips in pairs, then glue and assemble 
the three pairs. As your object is to get all the 
glue possible into your joint, then get all of this 
out that can be excluded by winding tightly with 
cord, the best way is to glue and wind, glue and 
wind until you finish the joint, always heating 
the applied glue before winding. Thick glue sim- 
ply cannot be used. I found this the most difli- 
cult part of split cane rodmaking — at first, but I 
practiced on short strips until I mastered the 
128 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS 

work, and in this way learned how to properly 
glue the longest strips. Tips are the most diffi- 
cult to glue, as they are so small it is at first hard 
to prevent twisting them in gluing. If this oc- 
curs, however, or if the joint is crooked, correct 
it, after the windings have been removed, by 
heating and twisting or bending until the joint is 
straight. 

When the stock is dry the double spiral wind- 
ings are taken off and the surplus glue removed, 
then the bamboo is rubbed very lightly with the 
finest sandpaper and the corners rounded 
slightly. It is then ready for handgrasp and 
ferrules. I prefer to rub lightly with varnish 
and let this dry before winding. Split or ser- 
rated ferrules should be used on bamboo rods 
in preference to the ordinary capped ferrules, 
and in fitting these only the corners of the bam- 
boo should be removed. 

To recapitulate : In order to lead from step 
to step without a break I have tried to describe 
how the butt and tips of a two-piece rod may 
be made. It naturally follows that a three-piece 
or a one-piece rod is made in the same fashion, 
the depth of the grooves in your little block 
129 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

varying to accord with the caliber of the rod- 
to-be. 

I would, however, advise you to make several 
experimental sections of cane before attempting 
full length strips; in other words, to practice 
with short pieces until you master first princi- 
ples. 

In order to do this, make your six inch block 
(Fig. 42) first of all. Take some rejected strips 
a foot or two in length and bevel and finish 
them with great care, having in mind a certain 
taper and following this religiously. It is sur- 
prising how quickly this will teach you the nice- 
ties of the system. The short pieces will be 
handy to fit and glue together, and later on you 
can saw them in two and inspect their ends to 
see just how your work turns out. You can also 
determine which glue seems best. Go even 
further and keep these sample pieces to see how 
much you have improved in your work from 
time to time. 



130 



CHAPTER XI 
Salt Water Rods 

The best tj^pe of rod for salt water fishing is 
the long tip and separate handgrasp. This ap- 
plies to all rods used in sea fishing, whether for 
tarpon, tuna, striped bass, weakfish or small fry, 
the length and weight depending on the kind of 
fish angled for. 

By using the separate handgrasp, the joint 
can be made very strong, and tips of different 
caliber or length are available, one handgrasp 
serving for a part of two or more rods. 

Two-piece rods, with the parts equal in length, 
come next. Other styles are used occasionally. 

Bethabara is the favorite wood and split bam- 
boo is coming into more general use for weak- 
fish rods and even for larger fish, including tuna 
and tarpon. 

131 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

It has long been the practice to equip heavy 
salt water rods with two sets of guides, so that 
any inclination of the tip toward set can be cor- 
rected by turning it half way round and using 
the other guides, etc. There are objections to 
this, due to the possibility of the line catching 
on the lower guides, and among anglers for big 
sea fish there are many who favor one set of 
guides only. The strain of trolling, and of 
fighting and landing heavy fish on a long line 
will permanently set any tip, but this can be 
corrected now and then so that the fault is not 
important. 

I will give the specifications of three salt water 
rods I have made at various times, the material 
of all being bethabara, and each being a useful 
type. They are illustrated in Fig. 47. 

Tarpon Rod. — Length, 6 feet ioJ4 inches; tip, 
5 feet 5^ inches. Handgrasp, 21 inches, wound 
with celluloid and fitted with a rubber button. 
Swell of handgrasp, i 11-32 inches. Reelseat, 
I I -16 inches in diameter. Taper of tip, 29-32 
to 5-16 inch, uniform throughout. Caliber of 
agate stirrup-tube top, ^ inch. First set of 
132 



SALT WATER RODS 

trumpet guides, 9 inches from top; second set, 
spaced 14 inches ; third set, spaced 17 inches ; 
set of agate hand guides, 25 inches from reel. 
The weight is about 24 ounces. 

Surf-Casting Rod. — Length, 6 feet 11^ inches; 
tip, 4 feet 11^ inches; handgrasp, 2514 inches 
long, or 22J/2 inches to center of reel. Swell 
of grasp, 1 3-16 inches ; material, a greenheart 
17-32 inch core, covered with solid cork, making 
a very light as well as springy butt whose core 
is of the same diameter as the tip, of which it 
is really a continuation. Reelseat, % inch, fitted 
for a 250-yard reel. Tip calibers: ferrule cen- 
ter, 17-32 inch; 6 inches forward, 17-32; 12 
inches, J^ ; 18 inches, 15-32; 24 inches, 7-16; 30 
inches, 13-32; 36 inches, ^; 42 inches, 21-64; 
48 inches, 9-32; 54 inches, 17-64; at top, ^-inch. 
Top, stirrup-tube, 5-16 caHber; raised agate 
guide, 10^ inches from top, with the second 
guide 14 inches below the first and z^ inches 
from the reel. Guide calibers, 5-16 and y% inch. 

This rod weighs only 13 ounces. It was de- 
signed for the regulation 2^ ounce lead weight 
in long distance tournament casting, but will 
133 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

also handle a 3 or 4 ounce sinker nicely, this 
weight being necessary in casting in the surf, 
where the combers will pick up a lighter weight 
and carry it into shoal water. It also has tre- 
mendous power for its weight, and is resilient 
throughout its entire length, in which it differs 
from rods having heavy, stiff handgrasps; is a 
pleasant rod to fish with and one can cast a 
2^ ounce weight 175 to 200 feet with very little 
effort. The grasp is made in the manner illus- 
trated in Fig. 35, but the core is largest under 
the reel, then tapers to about ^ inch at the butt, 
making it in fact a double-tapered rod. 

The grasp is so light that tips of small caliber 
and length are available, but for all-round sea 
fishing the handgrasp should be made about six 
inches shorter. 

Light Salt Water Rod. — Length, 6 feet % 
inch; joints, 36% inches. Weight, 13 ounces. 
Handgrasp, double, cord-wound; length, 21 
inches; swell of lower grasp, lys inches; of 
upper grasp, i inch; diameter of reelseat, % 
inch. Taper, handgrasp to ferrule, uniform, 
35-64 to 29-64; ferrule center, 7-16 inch, caliber 
134 



' 



n 



C/2 ^ 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

of tip six inches from center, 13-32; 12 inches, 
25-64; 18 inches, 11-32; 24 inches, 21-64; 30 
inches, 9-32; at top 15-64 inch. Top, stirrup- 
tube, agate, 5-16; bell guide, 9^^ inches from 
top; second guide 5-16, agate, spaced 17^^ inches 
and 27 inches from reel. 

This rod is pleasant to use for medium-sized 
sea fish, and handles the standard 2^ ounce 
weight nicely. In one of the tournaments of 
the Anglers' Club of New York in Central Park 
five contestants used this rod, the best cast with 
it being igo feet. 

The details of construction for similar light 
weight wood rods, already given, will apply to 
these salt water rods, save that heavier material 
will be needed. For my tarpon rod I obtained 
bethabara i inch square; for the surf rod, ^ 
inch; for butt of two-piece rod, ^^ inch, and for 
tip ^^ inch. 

In making handgrasps for rods of this class, I 
leave the wood core somewhat rough, in order 
that the glue will have better holding ground 
than if the core were polished smooth. 

Merely to give an idea of the expense, in time 
and cash, to the amateur rodmaker, I give be- 
136 



SALT WATER RODS 

low the following data relating to these three 
rods. All are bethabara: 

Tarpon Rod. — Cost of material, about $7.50; 
time required, ten hours. 

Surf Rod. — Cost of material, about $6; time 
required, about seven hours. 

Light Salt Water Rod.— Material, $4; time, 
nine hours. 

If the surf rod is made of dagama, purchased 
in billet form, the cost can be reduced some- 
what. The time given above refers only to 
finishing and mounting the rod, and does not in- 
clude winding and varnishing. 



137 



CHAPTER XII 

Bass and Trout Fly-Rods 

If the beginner is determined to make an 
all-wood fly-rod before attempting to build 
one of split bamboo, the directions previously 
given for three-j oint bait rods will apply here, 
with the exceptions that the joints must be made 
somewhat longer, the taper slower, and the reel- 
seat is placed below the hand. Straight-grained 
bethabara makes a nice fly-rod of medium 
weight, and dagama works well. 

It is scarcely advisable for the novice to begin 
his rodmaking on a split bamboo trout fly-rod 
of light weight, for the tips run so small that 
one can hardly expect to do creditable work 
on them at first. But bass fly rods of 6^ or 7 
ounces are easier to build, and after you have 
had some experience with butts and joints, tip 
138 



BASS AND TROUT FLY-RODS 

making will not present insurmountable diffi- 
culties. 

Below are given the calibers of three typical 
fly-rods that are excellent for fishing. They 
have seen hard service. All are hexagonal bam- 
boo. The handgrasps are solid cork, the hand 
guides agate, the other guides of steel, snake- 
pattern, and the tops loose steel rings: 

Heavy Fly-Rod.— Length, 9 feet 8 inches; 
weight, 7 ounces. Joints, 39^ inches long. 
Grasp, 9J^ inches long, inclusive of ^ inch reel- 
seat. Ferrules, serrated, waterproof, 21-64 and 
13-64. Calibers: at taper, Yz inch; 12 inches 
from butt, 7-16; 18 inches, 13-32; 2 feet, 25-64; 
2i/^ feet, ^; 3 feet, 23-64; 3^ feet, 11-32; 4 
feet, 5-16; 4^ feet, 19-64; 5 feet, 9-32; S^ feet, 
17-64; 6 feet, 14; 6^ feet, 15-64; 7 feet, 3-16; 
7^ feet, 11-64; 8 feet, 9-64; 8^ feet, ^; 9 feet, 
7-64; at top, 5-64 inch. 

Medium Weight Fly-Rod. — Length, 9^ feet; 

joints, 38^ inches. Weight, 6 to 6^^ ounces. 

Grasp, 9^ inches; reelseat, ^ inch. Ferrules, 

serrated, waterproof, 19-64 and 3-16. Calibers: 

139 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

butt joint, at taper, 13-32; i foot from butt, 
25-64; i^ feet, 23-64; 2 feet, 11-32; 2>4 feet, 
21-64; 3 f^et, 19-64. Middle joint, 6 inches, 
19-64; I foot, 9-32; iH feet, 17-64; 2 feet, 15-64; 
2J/2 feet, 7-32; 3 feet, 13-64. Tips, 6 inches, 
11-64; I foot, 5-32; i^ feet, 9-64; 2 feet, J/^; 
2^ feet, 7-64; 3 feet, 5-64. 

Trout Fly-Rod. — Length, 9 feet; joints, 36^ 
inches. Weight, 55^ ounces with ^-inch metal 
reelseat; with reel bands instead, a little less 
than 5 ounces. Grasp, 9 inches long. Ferrules, 
serrated, waterproof, 9-32 and 11-64 inch. Cali- 
bers: butt joint, at taper, 7-16; i foot from butt, 
25-64; i>4 feet, 11-32; 2 feet, 21-64; 2^ feet, 
5-16; 3 feet, 19-64. Middle joint, 6 inches, 9-32; 
I foot, 17-64; i^ feet, 15-64; 2 feet, 7-32; 2^ 
feet, 13-64; 3 feet, 3-16. Tips, 6 inches, 11-64; 
I foot, 5-32; iy2 feet, Ys; 2 feet, 7-64; 2>4 feet, 
3-32; 3 feet, 5-64 inch. 

Ordinary sumac, obtainable in any thicket, is 
nicely adapted to use for light handgrasps where 
reel bands are to be used. It is greenish-yellow 
when varnished, but can be stained nicely to re- 
semble cedar or cherry, then varnished. 
140 



!! •^ 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

Tournament fly-rods are allowed ^ of an 
ounce for metal reelseats; therefore a rod just 
under 4^ ounces will be admitted to the four- 
ounce class, and one just under 5% ounces to 
the five-ounce class if each has a metal reelseat. 
The length limit is 11^ feet. 

Five-ounce tournament rods are usually 10 
feet long and much stiff er than rods made ex- 
clusively for fishing, but they are pleasant to 
fish with, particularly on windy days, with a 
heavy double tapered line. 

Heavy single-hand tournament rods that are 
admitted to the open-to-all trout fly contests are 
limited only in length, to 11^ feet, but may be 
any weight. In the East these seldom weigh 
more than 10^ ounces and are generally 11 feet 
long, but in the West 11 feet 5>^ inches is a 
favorite length and some rods weigh as much 
as 13 ounces. These are extremely stiff, and 
they are powerful enough to lift 100 or more 
feet of heavy oiled silk tapered line out of the 
water on the back cast. 

The grasps are 12 to 15 inches long, and the 
rods taper from about ^ inch at the grasp to 
7-64 at the top, with long and heavy split or 
142 



BASS AND TROUT FLY-RODS 

serrated ferrules. These vary in caliber, but are 
about ^ and y^ inch in diameter. The middle 
joint is heavy and tapers very little at the lower 
end. 



143 



CHAPTER XIII 

Salmon Fly-Rods 

Since the earliest days of fly-fishing, salmon 
fly-rods have been made of solid wood, and to- 
day, although split bamboo is largely used for 
all other fly-rods, there is a steady demand for 
solid wood salmon fly-rods. In Great Britain 
greenheart salmon rods are still the favorites 
with a vast number of the anglers, and it is 
likely wood rods will never be entirely replaced 
by those of split bamboo for salmon fishing. 

In America the demand for salmon rods is 
small, for comparatively few of our anglers go 
to the Northern and Northeastern waters for 
these noble fish, and while those who prefer 
split bamboo rods for trout and bass fishing 
often wish to use rods of the same material 
144 



SALMON FLY-RODS 

for salmon, a great many favor wood rods. 
For tournament casting I prefer split bamboo 
to wood in all rods, but split bamboo salmon 
rods are very expensive and a well made wood 
rod will give its owner a great deal of satisfac- 
tion. Furthermore, it is not so difficult to make 
as some of the thinner fly-rods. 

In a rod whose length ranges from thirteen 
to eighteen feet and with a weight of 23 to 32 
ounces or more, stiffness in the rod requires 
muscle in the angler. To wield a stiff bamboo 
rod of 25 ounces and a long and heavy line dur- 
ing several hours' fishing taxes the angler's 
strength more than does a whippy rod of greater 
weight, and this is one reason why wood rods 
are peculiarly adapted to salmon fishing. A 
nicely proportioned wood rod has good action 
and with it a fly can be cast and fished with 
less exertion at ordinary salmon fly-casting dis- 
tances than is possible with the stiffer bamboo 
rod, hence anglers of small stature and average 
strength are likely to favor wood rods. 

Again, the split bamboo rod does not begin 
to. work until a certain length of line is ex- 
tended; that is, it requires the pull of a long 
14s 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

line to make the rod spring properly. Without 
this spring the fly cannot be cast neatly at any 
distance. Have you ever tried to cast a fly with 
a stiff bait rod? You have sufficient power in 
the rod, but lack the weight of line that is neces- 
sary to get the snap that sends the line in a roll- 
ing loop through the air. Try as hard as you 
like, you will never be able to cast a fly ten 
yards. The wood salmon rod is proportionately 
as flexible as the whippiest trout rod, therefore 
but little muscle and weight of line are necessary 
to develop its spring, and its user can cast lightly 
and sweetly at fifty feet or one hundred — for 
the rod does most of the work. 

In salmon fishing rods, great power is not of 
vital importance, for any one of these rods is 
capable of handling loo to 125 feet of double 
tapered line, and that means that they can be 
depended on to kill the biggest salmon. It is 
essential to kill these royal fish on the rod and 
to gaff them only after their fight is ended; 
therefore a nicely balanced wood rod will 
answer, it being conceded that bamboo will be 
less likely to give way to the accidents that may 
occur on any game fish stream. 
146 



SALMON FLY-RODS 

Salmon fly-casting has grown more and more 
popular among the clubs that practice fly-casting 
as a pastime, and men who have never seen a 
salmon river and probably never will see one 
have become adepts with the salmon rod and 
its heavy line and leader. It appeals to many 
who do not care for the contests with four and 
five-ounce trout fly-rods, and it is an exceed- 
ingly fascinating game. 

For a long time the maximum limit to the 
length of tournament salmon rods was placed 
at eighteen feet, but recently this was changed 
and the limit placed at fifteen feet. This is in 
line with the desire to use lighter tackle, and 
it also enables salmon fishermen to use their 
thirteen, fourteen and fifteen foot fishing rods in 
tournaments, placing them on fairly even terms 
with contestants whose rods are made for dis- 
tance casting only, but which would be rather 
stiff for all-day angling. 

Of all the fly-rods, the salmon rod is the 
easiest one for the novice to build from solid 
wood, and there is no reason why he should 
not get excellent results from such a rod con- 
structed for use exclusively in what is termed 
147 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

tournament casting; in other words, all casting 
for practice or for record. 

I give the specifications of three salmon rods 
that I have used with satisfaction in tournament 
casting, and these are illustrated in Fig. 49. 

Split Bamboo Salmon Rod. — Length, 14 feet 
iiK inches; joints, 5 feet i inch; weight, 26 
ounces ; material, six-strip Calcutta bamboo. 
Handgrasp, double, 24 inches long, solid cork 
fitted to bamboo direct. Length of lower grasp, 
7 inches; diameter, 13-16; buttcap, i 1-16; reel- 
seat, 6 inches long, i inch in diameter; upper 
grasp, II inches long, diameter, 13-16. Calibers: 
24 inches from butt, at taper, 41-64; 30 inches, 
Vs; 3 feet, 39-64; 3^ feet, 19-32; 4 feet, 37-64; 
4H feet, 35-64; ferrule, capped, welted and ser- 
rated, 4% inches long. Middle joint: Ferrule, 
3% inches long, 17-32; 6 inches from bottom, 
17-32; 12 inches, %; 18 inches, J/^ ; 2 feet, 31-64; 
2^ feet, 15-32; 3 feet, 7-16; 3H feet, 13-32; 4 
feet, ^; 4^ feet, 11-32; ferrule, capped, welted 
and serrated, 33^ inches long. Tips: Ferrule, 
2^ inches long, 21-64; 6 inches, 5-16; 12 inches, 
19-64; 18 inches, 9-32; 2 feet, 17-64; 2^ feet, 
148 



'■ 



j2 ^ 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

15-64; 3 feet, 13-64; 3^ feet, 3-16; 4 feet, 11-64; 
4JE/2 feet, 9-64; at top, ^ inch. Tops, loose ring, 
steel. Guides: First, agate, 5-16; balance hard 
steel snake guides, fifteen in all. 

Bethabara Salmon Rod. — Length, 14 feet 11 
inches; joints, 5 feet; weight, 28 ounces. Hand- 
grasp, double, 24 inches long, other dimensions 
same as split bamboo rod. Calibers : 24 inches 
from butt, ^ inch; 30 inches, 45-64; 3 feet, 
43-64; 3^ feet, 5^; 4 feet, 19-32; 4^ feet, 9-16; 
ferrule, capped and welted, 3^ inches long. 
Middle joint: Ferrule, 25^ inches long, 17-32 
diameter; 6 inches, 17-32; i foot, 33-64; 18 
inches, 33-64; 2 feet, Yz; 2^ feet, 31-64; 3 feet, 
15-32; 3^ feet, 27-64; 4 feet, 13-32; 4^ feet, 
25-64; ferrule, capped and welted, s% inches 
long. Tips: Ferrule, 2 inches long, 23-64; 6 
inches, 11-32; i foot, 21-64; 18 inches, 5-16; 2 
feet, 19-64; 2^ feet, 9-32; 3 feet, %; 3^ feet, 
7-32; 4 feet, 3-16; 4^ feet, 5-32; at top, Vs inch. 
Top, loose steel ring. Guides, same as above. 

Bethabara Salmon Rod.— Length, 14 feet; 
joints, 57^ inches; weight, 25^ ounces. Hand- 
150 



SALMON FLY-RODS 

grasp, same as on other rods. Calibers: 24 
inches from butt, 51-64; 2^.^ feet, 43-64; 3 feet, 
41-64; 3^ feet, 39-64; 4 feet, 37-64; 4^ feet, 
37-64; ferrule, capped and welted, 3^ inches 
long. Middle joint: Ferrule, 17-32; 6 inches, 
17-32; I foot, 33-64; 18 inches, H; 2 feet, 31-64; 
21/^ feet, 15-32; 3 feet, 7-16; 3^ feet, 13-32; 4 
feet, 23-64; 4^ feet, 11-32; ferrule, capped and 
welted, 3% inches long. Tips: Ferrule, 21-64; 
6 inches, 5-16; i foot, 9-32; 18 inches, 17-64; 2 
feet, %; 2>^ feet, 15-64; 3 feet, 7-32; 3^ feet, 
13-64; 4 feet, 11-64; 4H feet, 9-64; at top, % 
inch. Top, loose steel ring. Guides, one agate, 
balance steel snake ring, fourteen in all. 



151 



CHAPTER XIV 

Winding Rods 

This subject has been kept for a separate 
chapter, in order that the various steps in rod- 
making can be clearly understood, and to avoid 
repetition. Winding is a part of the work that 
can be done at odd moments, on a rainy day or 
in the evening, though I would not advise night 
work with colored silks, so trying are they on 
the eyes. 

Let us assume, then, that you have finished 
a rod — its type does not matter, as the winding 
is similar for all rods — and that it has been 
rubbed lightly with varnish and suspended until 
absolutely dry. 

The first things to consider are the guides. If 
the bait-rod is for accuracy casting or for fish- 
ing, the hand guide — the first one above the 
152 



WINDING RODS 

reel — will be placed nearer the reel, and more 
guides will be used than on a rod intended for 
distance casting only, on which two or three 
guides will be used. For fly-rods the position 
and number of guides depend upon its caliber 
and length. 

Take up the guides one by one and file the 
upper edges of the bases, so that the silk will 
not be cut by them in winding; then, with a few 
turns of common thread, tie each one on the rod 
and true them all up by sighting through them 
from both directions. To assist in their align- 
ment tiny shallow holes should be drilled in 
both ferrules, so that in putting the rod together 
it is merely necessary to seat the ferrules with 
the two marks opposite in order to align the 
guides perfectly. This applies to all rods. 

On bait-casting rods for tournament work 
alone, it seems best to use only two guides, so 
that the hand-guide must be three feet or more 
from the reel, the distance between it and the 
second guide being slightly more than the 
distance between the second guide and the agate 
top, in order to insure the least possible fric- 
tion on the line. 

153 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

If you are particular to have the windings as 
handsome as possible, putting them on without 
wax will tend to preserve their color, if they are 
carefully coated with shellac before varnishing. 
On a rod whose preliminary coat of varnish is 
still a trifle soft, yet not tacky, unwaxed silk 
will adhere nicely when it will not on hard 
varnish. Provided the silk is treated with abso- 
lutely colorless wax in clean hands, it will keep 
its color fairly well, but after the first two or 
three windings are put on and coated with 
shellac, the tyro will understand why dark 
shades of silk cannot well be used. For ex- 
ample, dark green silk, waxed but not 
shellacked, will turn almost black under the 
varnish, and red turns a dull shade. Wax 
causes the silk to grip the wood firmly and it 
waterproofs the wood in places where there is 
only one coat of varnish. 

A split cane rod, properly made and cemented, 
can be used without windings, provided it is 
not exposed to actual soaking. Following this 
line of reasoning, some rodmakers hold that 
winding a rod does not strengthen it materially. 
This may be true of rods whose windings are 
154 



WINDING RODS 

spaced iVo or 2 inches apart, but if these are 
placed one inch or less apart, they do strengthen 
the rod. A rod that is soft in action can be 
stiffened by close windings or by winding con- 
tinuously from end to end in spirals, provided 
the latter are not put on solidly. 

If you are in no hurry it is well to make the 
windings on the butt of split cane rods narrow, 
say twelve turns each, but space them not 
further than i^ inches apart, with six or more 
windings ^ inch apart next to the ferrule. On 
the joint make the spaces one inch, with a 
similar cluster next the ferrules, and vary those 
on the tip from ^ to >^ inch. I am a firm be- 
liever in closer windings near the ferrules, to 
stengthen the strips there against damage in 
twisting — not that ferrules should be separated 
in any other manner than with a straight pull. 
It is safe, but not always advisable to wind in 
spiral form, provided the spirals are not so close 
together as to come under the descriptive term 
"solidly wound;" for while solid winding 
strengthens a rod, it also renders it soft in 
action, loading it down with a non-resilient 
sleeve filled with varnish. 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

I do not advocate continuous spiral winding, 
but I believe in stiffening a rod in this manner 
if the need arises. The plan I have followed 
with satisfactory results is to start winding in 
the usual way, but after completing ten or a 
dozen turns, instead of cutting the silk and 
pulling the end under, I follow the "band" by 
winding spirally — each turn about 1-32 of an 
inch from the next one — for an inch or more, 
then winding solidly ten or twelve turns, fol- 
lowed by another inch or two of spiral wind- 
ing, and so on to the first guide, where the silk 
ends. Another series of bands and spiral wind- 
ings is begun on the opposite side of the guide, 
ending at the second guide, or the ferrule, as the 
case may be. 

This spiral winding calls for two or three 
coats of varnish, which should fill the inter- 
stices between spirals, so that the surface will 
be entirely smooth, as otherwise a knock or 
rough handling will break the single strands of 
silk. The bands alone are coated with shellac. 

As previously stated, I have great faith in the 
conclusions arrived at after long experience by 
Frederic M. Halford. He advocates winding 
156 



WINDING RODS 

fly-rods closely, from one-half to three-quarters 
of an inch apart. In his opinion this increases 
the steely spring of a split cane rod and 
strengthens wood rods appreciably. He does 
not state how wide these windings should be, 
but it is asumed that they are narrow, say 
seven threads in width, since wide ones are 
unsightly. 

When your rod is ready to be wound, 
your hands being perfectly clean, lay on your 
work table a small spool of buttonhole silk, 
the silk to be used in winding, a bit of wax, a 
pair of small scissors, and a very sharp knife. 
From the buttonhole silk cut a piece four inches 
long, wax it, lay the ends together and draw it 
through the fingers until it will lie straight with 
the looped end ready for use. We will call it 
the pull-through. 

It is assumed that your silk is not waxed, and 
that you take up the butt joint of your rod, the 
first winding to be put on just above the metal 
taper of the handgrasp. Lay the silk along the 
rod, hold the end with the left thumb and be- 
gin the first circlet toward the right, turning the 
rod toward the left meanwhile. This will bind 
157 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

the end of silk, as shown in Fig. 50. Turn the 
rod slowly toward the left with the left hand, 
holding the silk tight in the right hand, which 
guides it. Draw the silk as tight as possible 
during the first three turns, so that it will ad- 
here to the rod. 

If you wish to make ten or twelve circlets, 
after the sixth one lay the pull-through {d Fig. 

51) along the rod, loop toward the left, and 
wind over it, as shown in Fig. 54; but if the 
winding is to be a narrow one, the pull-through 
should be inserted at the beginning. This step 
is illustrated in Figs. 51 and 52. Count each 
complete circlet, at least at first, in order that 
all windings will be uniform. At the end hold 
the wound silk under the left thumb, cut it with- 
in an inch of' the thumb, tuck the end (b Fig. 

52) through the loop of the pull-through and 
draw the latter under the winding, the end of 
silk following as in Fig. 53. 

When the pull-through is free, pull on the end 
(b) of winding silk until it is tight, then shave 
it off even with the winding and cut the 
original end (a) even with the last circlet of silk. 
(This is often cut after the fifth or sixth circlet) 
158 




FIG. 50. 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

Fig. 55 illustrates the method employed in mak- 
ing a narrow border of say, red, for a wide 
band of say, green. The figure shows the wide 
green band finished and the first stage in wind- 
ing the border. In this case the original end of 
silk (a Fig. 53) is not cut off until the border is 
finished, as it helps to hold both bands together. 
The pull-through is inserted at the beginning 
of the border winding, and used in the same 
manner as illustrated in Fig. 53. 

This method of manipulating rod windings is 
the simplest one of several for making so-called 
endless windings. It is capable of numerous 
variations, and it is not only easy to learn, but 
insures satisfaction. 

The secret of the method is to keep the pull- 
through of buttonhole silk well waxed, and to 
discard it for a new one whenever it shows 
wear. 

In all books on rodmaking more compli- 
cated forms of winding are described and illus- 
strated. The first step is alike in all of these, 
but their authors describe the finishing step 
in other ways. The most common form con- 
sists in laying the winding silk along the 
160 



WINDING RODS 



rod, SO that long spirals can be passed over 
the end of the rod and drawn taut, then the 
silk is pulled under in the same way as de- 
scribed by me, save that no separate pull- 



FiG. 51. 



i=B 




FIG. 52. 



through is employed. If one is winding near 
the middle of a long joint, this method is 
tedious in the extreme, and the silk not only 
snarls up, but becomes frayed. There is a way 
to partially overcome this, which consists in 
first winding backward in long spirals, passing 
161 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

the end under these, winding tight, then pulling 
the silk under; but it, too, is tedious. 

Many years ago I discarded these methods 
for the separate pull-through, and have used 
it in all windings since then. It may be ancient, 
but I have never seen it described in any work 
on fishing tackle. It is, however, one of the 
most useful of all wrinkles, and is particularly 
handy in splicing silk lines. With this pull- 
through fancy windings of only two or three 
turns of silk can be so neatly made that only 
after minute inspection can the blind ends of the 
silk be seen. Indeed, I have had anglers assert 
that such windings had been pasted down with 
shellac, and only after inspecting them with a 
magnifying glass were they convinced that the 
silk ends were actually pulled under and cut ofif. 

I have examined split bamboo tournament 
rods in which the lower strips had given way 
through hard usage, but the narrow bands of 
silk had held so firmly that they were all 
ruptured at the line of the break, the ends re- 
maining unmoved. This also shows the strength 
of silk windings, however narrow. 
Diflferent persons wind rods differently. My 
162 



WINDING RODS 



way may not be the best one, but I will de- 
scribe it. I begin with the butt joint and place 
a rather wide band of say, green, with a narrow 






FIG. 53. 



FIG. 54. 



FIG. 55. 



red border next to the handgrasp taper, then a 
similar band on each side of the ferrules and at 
the top. After that I wind the guides with say, 
green, with narrow red borders. This leaves 
only red silk to finish, and enables you to 
163 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

evenly divide the remaining spaces to be wound. 
The space between the handgrasp and the first 
guide is measured. Mark off every iJ4 inches 
from the guide down, and if you like finish up 
with eight or ten five-turn windings just ahead 
of the first band at the taper, for ornaments. 
Wind the red bands, then mark the spaces be- 
tween the two guides, or hand guide and 
ferrule, wind there, and so on. So long as all 
spacing is uniform, any necessary variations will 
not be noticed, but as a general thing make the 
spaces closer and closer toward the tip, and if 
there is a separate tip, place its guides and wind- 
ings so that it will match its fellow tip. 

At first one is inclined to make his windings 
wide, believing that they are handsome so; but 
as they are not necessary, it is well to make 
them all ten or twelve turns, with still narrower 
ones next to the wide bands covering the guides, 
and at the ends of the joints. Red being a last- 
ing color, it is well to use it thoroughout, with 
light or medium green for borders. All red 
without ornaments requires much less work, 
but is not so neat as if there is some relief. 
If you object to colors, use cream or light 
164 



WINDING RODS 

yellow silk, which will hardly show on bam- 
boo or dagama. For bethabara red is stand- 
ard. Green alone or as a predominating color 
lacks taste, although it comes out well for nar- 
row borders with red. At one time I happened 
to see a spool of lilac silk while winding a rod. 
and tried it. It looked so neat at first that I 
used it throughout the rod, using apple green 
for borders. The rod was a good one, but I 
couldn't stand those colors, and gave it away 
to a fisherman in Canada. Somehow the colors 
"got on his nerves," too, and he in turn gave 
the rod to an uncle whose vision was poor. I 
trust the old gentleman does not consider it a 
hoodoo rod, as his nephew and its maker did. 

There is a sort of unwritten law among rod- 
makers to use heavy winding silk on large rods, 
and so on down to the finest silk for light fly- 
rods. It is well to follow this rule as far as 
may be possible. On tarpon, heavy salt water 
and trolling rods, on salmon rods and on the 
butt joints of heavy fly-rods size A is the proper 
thing. It is the commercial size that can be ob- 
tained anywhere. Size O is suitable for joints, 
and size OO for tips of most rods, while for 
i6s 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

four and five-ounce fly-rods OO is best. One 
reason for this is that on tips the heavier silk 
is likely to be cut through by the line as it 
shoots through the guides in casting the fly, 
whereas the finer silk windings may be un- 
affected. On tournament fly-rods, when the 
line is coiled on a platform that is covered with 
grit, it is not unusual to see the windings of 
tips cut through as if with a dull knife. 

As stated in a previous chapter, smaller sizes 
of silk than A are difficult to obtain of the retail 
trade, but there is a way to so utilize A silk 
that it will answer every requirement, with a 
lasting supply always at hand in the nearest 
dry goods store. This method follows: 

Having selected the colors desired, wind the 
guides and ferrules — if the latter are split or ser- 
rated — with size A. If the ferrule and guide 
windings are to have borders of another color, 
leave these until the last thing. Take a spool 
of A and cut off a piece a foot long and rub 
this carefully with wax, which must be color- 
less and free from foreign matter that will 
darken the silk. Twist this piece of silk in the 
opposite direction to that followed in its manu- 
i66 



WINDING RODS 

facture, so that the strands will separate, and 
hold them apart until each one of the three can 
be removed and laid aside. Now take up one 
of the strands and wax it thoroughly. It will 
remain a trifle kinky, but that will not matter. 
After it is waxed, it will cease trying to snarl 
up, as at first, and you will have a really strong 
thread of silk floss much softer than the three- 
ply strand from which it was taken. Try it on 
the thin tip of a fly-rod, and you will notice 
that in winding it will lie flat and spread out a 
trifle, like a ribbon, while it will not look so 
lumpy, even, as a thread of OO silk, and after 
the rod has been varnished the windings will be 
very neat and workmanlike. 

It is obvious that this thread is not so strong 
as three-ply, and it should be tested to deter- 
mine how much strain it will bear without 
breaking. It is stronger, however, than would 
be supposed, and I have wound a fly-rod tip 
with separated strands of O without breaking 
more than three all told; so that the A strands 
will give little trouble on this score if prop- 
erly waxed. 

Of course, in employing this method, you 
167 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

cannot work from the spool, but must cut off 
suitable lengths and wax and separate the 
strands before beginning to wind. This is more 
tedious than employing silk direct from the 
spool, but you have the advantage of prepar- 
ing the material for several windings at one 
time, and a little experimenting will determine 
how much to cut for certain work. A strand 
fifteen inches in length will make four or five 
narrow windings for a fly-rod tip, but for the 
joint and butt much longer strands will be 
necessary. 

Because of the flat, ribbon-like form of the 
separated strands, fewer turns to each wind- 
ing will be the rule than if OO were used; 
but the silk is so thin when tightly wound 
that no objections can be raised to its bulk. 
Given a coat of shellac on the silk only, and 
the entire rod then coated with the best light 
coach varnish, put on while warm, the rod will 
be a work of art, and a finger rubbed over its 
length will barely feel the windings. 

Finally, the thinner the silk employed in 
windings, the less will they be cut and frayed by 
the fly line. A great many of the enameled fly 
i68 



WINDING RODS 

lines break, or, rather, the enamel breaks in 
places if much used, so that the line is not 
smooth and wiry as when new, and such lines 
wear the windings rapidly, particularly those in 
which large sizes of silk are used. I have seen 
new tournament fly-rods with every winding on 
the tips cut entirely through after a few days' 
use, necessitating considerable expense in re- 
newing windings and varnish; but this is often 
due to insufficient varnish in the first place, or 
to coating the rod with shellac instead of good 
varnish. It is much less trouble and cheaper to 
shellac windings, rod and all at one time than 
to shellac the windings, then varnish over all, 
two coats; but it is not so satisfactory to the 
owner of the rod. 



169 



CHAPTER XV 

Varnishing Rods 

When your rod has been wound, it is well 
to take up each joint, and while turning it rapid- 
ly, pass it over an alcohol or gas flame to remove 
all fuzzy ends of silk. Be careful that the flame 
is not close enough to scorch the windings, how- 
ever. If any ends of silk protrude, cut them off 
short with a sharp knife. 

Now warm your grain alcohol shellac slight- 
ly, so that it will flow well, and with the thin, 
round artist's brush previously referred to, coat 
each silk winding evenly, being careful to keep 
the shellac off the wood. As a rule one coat on 
the windings will be sufficient, but if the silk 
seems to be dry and dull after the first coat has 
dried, go over it lightly a second time, and let 
the rod dry for several hours. Because the shellac 
170 



VARNISHING RODS 

seems to be dry and hard on the surface of the 
windings after an hour, do not take it for 
granted and go ahead with varnishing. Shellac 
dries on the surface first, and if two coats of 
shellac are put on windings, it is well to let them 
dry for a couple of days before attempting to 
varnish. 

When you take it up again, go over the wood 
with a piece of flannel or linen, rubbing lightly 
but thoroughly to remove any wax, grease or 
oil that may have accumulated there during the 
winding. This is absolutely necessary to the at- 
tainment of a nice finish, and after the shellac 
on the windings is hard no harm can be done by 
polishing the wood with a strip of soft cotton 
or silk, boot-black fashion. To do this hold one 
end of the joint against your chest and rest the 
other end against something firm, to prevent 
turning. While it is not necessary, the shellac 
can be warmed slightly over a flame at this stage 
and the joint turned while a finger is passed 
around each winding to smooth down any un- 
even surfaces. After this do not touch the wood 
or windings with your hands; pick it up by the 
ferrules instead. 

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RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

When you are ready to varnish, select a warm 
day if possible, or at any rate one when the air 
is not humid or moist. The rod should be 
warmed in a room where the temperature is 75 
degrees, and your can of extra light coach var- 
nish should be left for ten minutes in a pot of 
steaming hot water, to be sure that it will be 
thin and all particles of gum contained in it will 
be melted so that it will flow nicely and dry 
rapidly. A warm rod and hot varnish will in- 
sure a nice finish. 

For your work it is assumed that you have 
procured a flat brush of good quality, and that 
you are ready to begin by holding one end of a 
joint on a table and the other in your left hand. 
With a modest quantity of varnish, pass the 
brush from the top down for four inches, turn- 
ing the joint slowly while the brush is held at 
an angle of about 20 degrees to the rod. Work 
very slowly, and in going over each winding see 
that a bare spot is not left there, caused by the 
brush skipping over the silk and missing the 
wood just beyond. To prevent this it is some- 
times advisable to pass the brush around the rod 
at each winding first, then, when the varnish in 
172 



VARNISHING RODS 

it is nearly exhausted, go over that part length 
wise, to insure an even coating. At any rate, 
great care must be exercised to prevent daubing 
the varnish on in places and skipping others. 

The first coat should be worked in, with no 
attempt to flow the varnish on, and be careful 
lest varnish accumulates around the guides, and 
leaves them gummed up and unsightly. The 
same care is necessary with reference to the fer- 
rules. To avoid marring them, pass the brush 
around the contiguous winding very slowly, 
coating the silk but not encroaching on the metal. 

When all the parts of the rod are varnished, 
if they can be assembled and the rod suspended 
in a fairly warm, dry room, free from dust, for 
two or three days, all should be well. A brad 
driven in a picture moulding is ideal, provided 
the rod does not hang close to the wall, but the 
center of a room is a better place, as some walls 
are cold, even damp, and on the side of a rod 
hanging* close to such a wall the varnish may 
crawl and spoil your work. 

In spring or summer it is usually safe to var- 
nish a rod in the morning and suspend it in a 
window. The morning sun is not too warm, but 
173 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

it is often too warm after lo o'clock for the 
best results. Plenty of fresh air is best, but a 
windy place should be avoided, as dust is likely 
to be flying there. Do not leave separate joints, 
while they are drying, where careless persons 
may accidentally knock them over or break 
them, and see that they are kept indoors at 
night Do not touch the varnish with the hands. 
Perhaps you will be satisfied with one coat of 
varnish. If it is evenly applied it will be suffi- 
cient for split bamboo rods; but coach varnish 
applied while warm is not very thick, and a 
light second coat will keep out moisture. The 
first coat should set in four hours and be hard 
enough for a second coat in less than a week. 
The second coat, however, should be given as 
much time as possible to dry and harden before 
the rod is used, depending on the temperature. 
This coat can be deferred with safety until the 
middle of the season or even until the fol- 
lowing winter if the rod is not subjected to 
hard usage; and if it is still in good conditi'^n, 
the new varnish will make it like a new rod. For 
hard use, however, two coats of varnish will not 
be wasted, but three will not be needed. 
174 



VARNISHING RuDS 

If Spar varnish is to be used— and many salt 
water anglers employ it— three coats, with sev- 
eral days between, will be necessary. 

Cord-wound hand-grasps should be given two 
coats of shellac and one of coach varnish. More 
will be likely to render the cord slippery. If the 
grasp is sumac, omit the shellac and put on two 
coats of coach, giving it ample time to dry. 



175 



CHAPTER XVI 

Rod Cases and Forms 

On the use to which you will put your rod de- 
pends the kind of protective covering you will 
need. There are anglers who will have nothing 
but a thin muslin cover, but something better is 
needed for rods that are to be carried far. 

The makers of the best fly-rods supply bam- 
boo tubes with screw caps for the tips, this tube 
and the middle and butt joint going into a can- 
vas case, so that the stiff tube protects the two 
other parts when all are bound with the tie-tapes 
of the cover. The wood form is the most com- 
mon type, and these are cheap. Aluminum tubes 
with screw caps are obtainable in the trade, cost- 
ing $2 or $3, and suitable for either fly or bait 
rods. Aluminum tubing of almost any desired 
size is obtainable from the supply companies, at 
176 



RODMAKING FOR BEGINNERS 

20 to SO cents per foot, and fibre tubing of simi- 
lar sizes can be had from some hardwaremen at 
about the same prices. Both fibre and aluminum 
tubes are made in sizes up to about two inches. 
For long rods a tube of some sort is very handy. 
It can be fitted with corks, or with a screw cap 
on one end, and in such a case a rod is safe. 

Tip cases are sometimes made to order by 
houses that supply mailing tubes. The method 
of winding the strips of strawboard spirally 
makes these tubes tough and strong, and if the 
walls are thick, the ends corked and the tube 
supplied with a canvas case, the rod will be well 
protected. I have seen these tubes as small as 
one inch in diameter, for long tips. Sometimes 
they are covered with leather. They are fre- 
quently made thus for bait-casting rods which 
have separate handgrasps, the grasps to be car- 
ried in a pocket or tackle case. 

A very good plan is to groove a piece of 
white pine so that the tips of the rod will lie 
below the surface, the grooves being enlarged to 
let the guides go underneath, then inclose this 
form in a canvas case with the butt and joint, 
the whole rod being fairly well protected. 
178 



ROD CASES AND FORMS 

Still another way is to employ a canvas case 
of the form illustrated in Figs. 56 and 57. The 
upper end is bound with braid or is hemmed, 
the lower edge turned over and sewed to the 
upper one, then three seams sewed lengthwise 
and three tapes attached to the back. This 
leaves pockets for the butt, the joint and the two 
tips. One of the tip pockets is made large 
enough to admit a piece of wood a half-inch 
square and of the same length as the tips. Round 
off its corners and it will not injure the tip. 
When the rod is taken out of the case this piece 
of wood will remain to protect the extra tip, 
which might otherwise be broken. 



179 



